Kataang Island Adventure 2: Aratak's Journey
by AvatarCat13
Summary: Aratak, the leader of the island tribe, is now joining Avatar Aang and a heavily pregnant Katara to go to Republic City along with her sister and two friends. Will they be accepted, or will they be shunned due to being feral? And will Aratak help solve a crime and prefer the nations over her island? Sequel to Kataang Island Adventure. Rated M for certain stuff...lemon included.
1. A New Adventure Begins

**AvatarCat13: Hey there, everyone, and welcome to Kataang Island Adventure 2: Aratak's Adventure! And you heard me right, folks; this is the official sequel to Kataang Island Adventure...even if it's not taking place on the island.**

**I've decided on either to make a prequel or sequel to Kataang Island Adventure for a while. It's gotten popular, and I'm glad you liked it, but I couldn't decide on making a prequel or sequel. But since you wanted to see a sequel, then darn it, you'll get a sequel. :) But I recommend that you read Kataang Island Adventure before reading this. And I'll say the summary for the story before the disclaimer. Those who did read it will be fine.**

**Summary: ****Aratak, the young intersexual chief of the Amaroo Tribe, is going with Avatar Aang and Katara to see Republic City as long last. But when she, Ataki, Ziron, and Shun arrive, how will they handle settling in to this new world? And who's going to either welcome the islanders to the city or reject them for their strange origin?**

**Disclaimer: I only own Aratak and some other villagers, but Avatar: The Last AirBender does NOT belong to me. It belongs to Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. Plus, Ataki belongs to Crazy Cowgirl Cassie, and Ziron belongs to Jade's One Of A Kind.**

**Publishing Date: July 1, 2013**

**Rated M for: Some sex scenes, lactation, a birth scene, and other stuff**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**A New Adventure Begins**_

The sun was already setting over the island, the rays catching it in an orange glow. The wolves were already returning from a day of hunting, holding fish and smaller animals in their jaws, as the older wolves and hunters came back with larger prey. A few flying bison and ring-tailed winged lemurs had been rounded up and ready to go to Republic City back in the four nations. Not too far away, in the village of the Amaroo Tribe, a slender young woman was hanging out at her hut, thinking.

Aratak, the hermaphrodite chieftain of the Amaroo tribe, leaned against a tree outside her hut after she finished packing. Today was the day, the day she (along with her pregnant little sister) would get to go to the four nations and see what they were like. She had lived all twenty one years of her life on the island, and she would finally get to see the world away from here. And the ones taking her there were Avatar Aang himself and Katara, Aang's heavily pregnant mate. The two strangers she had come to know and love were taking her to the slowly growing Republic City.

But she knew that society would not want a naked hermaphrodite to walk around their city. Aratak saw that the people in her tribe had used animal furs for clothing if the weather got too cold, but to stay closer to nature, they always went naked. So she went over towards the storage area where they kept the pelts, but a familiar voice interrupted her.

"Hey Aratak." It was Aang who had spoken, Katara standing beside him, and they were visiting for the day and being nudist like them. "When are you ready to head out?"

Aratak didn't know what to say at the moment. Right now, she was looking at how their naked forms were glowing in the dying sunlight, feeling her heart thumping harder than ever. Aang's muscular yet lean frame was enough to make some women's heads turn at the sight of the Avatar, yet she had heard that they would use this as an excuse to try and get him to date them. But Aratak (and Katara even more) knew better; besides the powerful Bending, he was a good person. Not only that, but he was very handsome too: tall, lean, muscular, and gray-eyed, he was lucky to have been a good friend and husband.

And speaking of that, she looked over at Katara and blushed. Despite being heavily pregnant with her soon-to-be-born baby, she looked just as beautiful as ever. Aratak took in the features of this young woman: her once-slender belly swollen and huge with her baby, her gorgeously large breasts, her darkened and fully erect nipples, her long smooth legs, her tan skin glowing in the candle light, her well-shaped thighs, and her most sacred body part shaved. Despite all of that, her bright blue eyes, long dark brown hair, and friendly smile were the same.

Just then, Aratak caught the scent of an erotic smell and inwardly smiled. It seemed that Aang and Katara had decided to mate during their stroll. She could tell they had because of the faint scent of sweat on their bodies, the look of slight weariness on their faces, and even the rich, creamy, and delicious scent of breast milk. This made her feel a little aroused, but she swallowed those lustful feelings and focus on her special friendship with the Avatar and his mate.

"How about tomorrow?" she suggested. "I figured that you'd need some rest after the trip here to the island...that, and you could clean off the mating scent."

The couple blushed and looked away from each other before Katara asked, "How'd you know we were mating?"

Aratak shrugged. "I just have a good sense of smell; once you stick around on the island, your senses develop more." Clearing her throat, she went on, "So...getting back to the subject...can you stay over for the night?"

"Of course we can," Katara said, looking over at her mate. "Can we, Aang?"

"You know what the answer is," Aang replied with a gentle smile. "We can stay for the night. But what should we do first?"

"Well..." Aratak had been mates with the Avatar and his wedded mate for eight months, and they had missed out a lot on many stuff. But since it had been months since they saw each other again, she knew they would have to take it slow this time. So she said, "There's the feast, you know. We're making a big feast for your return here...and for us to go to Republic City."

Aang smiled at this. "I don't see how a little feast can hurt. Besides..." His grin got a bit goofier as Aratak heard a familiar internal rumbling. "I'm getting a bit hungry anyways."

Katara nodded with her mate and blushed as her stomach growled too. "So am I. And we have to get some food for the baby for the night."

When she finished, Aratak reached her hand over and rested it on the WaterBender's stomach. "The baby feels healthy, all right. I can feel it...or him...you think it'll be a boy or a girl?"

"I'm hoping for a girl...and I want to name her after my mother," Katara told her. She looked over at her husband and asked, "So what do you think, Aang? Still hoping for a boy or a girl?"

"I think we're gonna have to wait until the baby arrives," Aang told her, kissing her cheek. "But if you're hoping for a girl, I'll love her all the same...and that also goes for if the baby doesn't become an AirBender. We'll love him or her nevertheless."

"That's good to hear," Aratak said. "Now come on. We'll be late getting the feast in shape."

So the three of them headed down to the village together and helped the others get the feast prepared. Aratak wished Tuqakaq was still around to help, but he had retired early due to having had a badly twisted ankle that couldn't be moved without Masambo's EarthBending. Even the wolves of the tribe were helping, carrying over pieces of meat to the table before heading pack to get more. But Balto, Aang and Katara's wolf and her wolf Brutus' son, was looking awkward, perhaps due to living a civilized life for eight months.

Aratak noticed Ataki, her six-month-pregnant sister, walk slowly towards the table with a bowl of assorted fruits in her hands. She was joined shortly by her mate Ziron, who gave her a peck on the cheek before breathing and shooting his hands out towards the candles. Only small sparks appeared, but it made Aratak smile: a certain someone must have taught him FireBending over the past eight months. Rolling her eyes at this, Ataki took a breath of her own and shot a few small jets of flame from her fingers towards the candles.

"Sorry about that, Ataki," Ziron said with a nervous giggle. Aratak knew that he was once a troubled teenager forced to live on the island, but they took him in and, thanks to them, Aang, and Katara, they grew to respect him.

"It's fine, love," Ataki giggled, kissing his cheek. "Just focus more on the life burning within you like I've done...and that's not the only life!" she added with a smile, laying her gentle hand on her stomach.

Aratak remembered in time that she was also going to be an aunt. She hoped she would be a good aunt, for she had been a good sister to her quadruplet baby brothers and sisters; the boys were named Lee and Moshi, and the girls were Aya and Ling. But then...she almost knew what it was like to be another mother, since her deceased mate Nanuk had died while pregnant with their first child.

But her growling stomach pulled her out of her thoughts. Tonight was a feast to celebrate the return of the Avatar and his mate to the island, and Aratak wasn't going to miss it. So, noticing one of her second-in-commands Masambo (a dark-skinned man) bringing in the freshly-killed fox antelope to cook, she went over to help him out. But she decided to spend some more time with Aang and Katara, so she asked her other second-in-command Baldomero (a bronze-skinned man) to assist in the cooking.

_Perhaps Katara can teach me to cook the way she does,_ she thought, thinking back to what the WaterBender taught her. _The tribe can all enjoy it._

**...**

Not really needing anyone to wake her up at whatever time, Aratak rose from her bed and gave a yawn, stretching a bit. The sun was shining through the paneless window, and a few peacock chickens were outside crowing, blue-&-green feathers glowing and fanned out. Aratak smiled at a certain memory, a memory when she saw Katara trying to warm up the eggs and help them hatch...by "laying" them. She gave her long black hair a shake (since it had grown longer over the past few months) and headed out.

The village was full of life as usual; hunters were getting ready to leave for a hunting trip, and children were running around and having fun. Even the wolves of the village were active; two of them were tugging on each ends of a stick, and the wolf puppies were wriggling around together. Aratak felt her heart beat in terror when she saw a poisonous rat viper slither towards the pups, but Balto, Aang and Katara's wolf and Brutus' son, pounced at the snake and grabbed it with his jaws, shaking it around until it was dead. She felt bad that she had to give away a valuable wolf like him, but he was much happier with his owners.

Near the banquet table, Aratak noticed Aang and Katara arrive out of their hut; the Avatar was leading his pregnant mate over to the table. She noticed how the WaterBender was moving lately, waddling around due to being so close to give birth soon. She smiled over towards them and walked to their table, where they looked up at her.

"Morning, you two," Aratak said, kissing them each on the lips. "Slept good?"

"Yep," Katara sighed, returning Aratak's kiss with a lick on the cheek; Aratak knew that this was one of the main ways to show affection in the tribe. "After that day of travelling, I felt like I could sleep for two days!"

Aang added playfully, "Well, guess what? We'll have to start travelling again today!"

Katara made a fake whine. "Oh, do we have to? But seriously, you're right," she added, seeing the reassuring smile on his face. "We have to get back to Yu Dao and introduce the bison and lemurs to the island you made."

Aratak did a double take as she sat down beside them, a cup of pineapple juice in her hand. Was Aang really that powerful enough to create an island on his own? She knew he was a powerful fully-realized Avatar, but creating an island would have taken a lot of strength.

Out loud, she asked, "You really made an island on your own? How?"

"I had some help," Aang replied with a modest look on his face. "Our friend Toph helped me make the island, though she did a few parts of it. And even though I'm the Avatar, I STILL think her EarthBending's more powerful than mine."

"I should imagine so," Aratak said. "Earth is your opposite element, right?"

Katara nodded. "Yep. You should've seen Aang when he tried to learn EarthBending for the first time. Toph was training him hard, though I told her to go easy on him...and it worked!"

Aang had a sheepish look now. "Actually, she drilled me pretty hard after you said that."

"She did?!" his mate yelped. "She and I will have a talk about that when we get back."

Seeing that she was irritated about their friend, Aratak said, "You might want to settle down now. Think of your baby."

At this, Katara looked around, her annoyed look fading away and softening. She rested a hand on her very round belly and sighed, "Sorry about that. But still, Toph should've listened when I told her to go easy-"

"But it's fine now," Aang quickly cut her off. "Thanks to her training, I've actually gotten better in EarthBending."

While they were talking, Ataki and Ziron had approached them and said their good-mornings to the three of them, Kumiko following them. This young woman was one of the first people Aang and Katara had ever met in the tribe due to the latter helping her give birth eight months ago. Aratak knew that Kumiko had been a shy person before and after she and Baldomero became mates, but apparently after meeting Aang and Katara, she got even braver.

"So are you ready?" Kumiko was asking the younger couple, holding her eight-month-old son Yori close to her chest.

"Yeah," Ziron said with a smile. "What do you think Dad will say about our baby?"

Kumiko shrugged. "I don't know. We only met him once when he came to the island eight months ago. But I think he'll be happy to see you again."

"She's right, Ziron," Ataki was saying. "He's on good terms with us now...but it's been months since we last saw him! I wonder how he's doing."

Ziron chuckled and drew her close to him gently. "Just as curious as ever, Ataki."

Aratak smile at this, happy for her little sister and her mate having a family together. Looking to the side, she saw Shun (the healer of the tribe and Kumiko's older sister) walk over with herbs in her arms and strike up a chat with the Avatar. Shun (whose real name was actually Shuna) was a gifted healer and quite a lovely woman, from her slender frame to her long black hair and warm brown eyes and even to her slim figure and medium-sized breasts. Besides Katara and Diao Chan (one of the fighters in the village), Shun was one of the most beautiful women in the tribe.

"Hey Shun," Aratak said, walking over to her. "Giving out free herbs?"

Shun smiled back. "Sure am. Besides...I've already been training an apprentice in case I go away or die, remember? So she can help the village with the temporary leader."

Aratak was surprised to hear this. "You mean Basha? Juma's daughter?"

"Yes," Shun replied. "And...I was wondering if I could come along with you, Aang, Katara, Ataki, and Ziron. I want to see how WaterBending in the world works."

"And besides, you'll have a temporary leader and healer in the tribe while you're with us," Aang added helpfully. "So what do you say?"

"I'm the chieftain of this tribe, and I say if she can join us," Aratak told him sternly. To Shun, her face softened as she said, "And Shun...you can come with us to the four nations."

Shun gave her a smile as she threw her into a hug. "Thank you, Aratak! I can't wait for our trip!"

Aratak nodded. "No problem. So should we get packing?"

"We can," Katara spoke up. "But first, we need to get prepared for the trip back to Republic City. And Aang, you know how I can get on the trip back."

"Well, you got us to talk to," Ziron spoke up cheerfully. "That way, you won't get bored on the bison trip back. You can tell us what you two have been up to, and we'll do the same."

Aang added, "And be sure to bring along some animal pelts. We'll get some clothes for you guys, but until then, you might wanna use those."

Aratak smiled at this, and she knew she would enjoy this trip with more than her lovers with her. Her own sister, her brother-in-law, and one of her childhood friends were coming with them to see Republic City for the first time. This was going to be the greatest adventure they had ever had since they would actually be leaving the island. A surge of excitement made the young hermaphrodite's heart race at the thought of seeing the outside world.

_Ancestors watch over us. Our home may be the island, but I can't wait to see the city too._

_**To be continued...**_

**...**

**AvatarCat13: Well, there you go. The journey back will be explained in the next chapter, so don't you worry one bit. I'll upload some more chapters, but I gotta go through the other stories first. And I really hope you like this FanFic; plus, it'll be longer than Kataang Island Adventure.**

**And about Shun...I've thought of her and Kumiko looking like Sango and Kagome in that order from Inuyasha; besides, the latter two are really pretty, you know? Well, that was something I forgot to add in the first story...and something I needed to get off my chest. There's some other stuff I'd like to add in the story: humor, drama, romance, and animal scenes. Can't forget the animals, can we?**

**Read and review! Those who review this new story will receive a virtual figurine of a character from ATLA. Either that, or a pizza. Flames are not welcome here, but I allow advice, questions of any kind, or constructive criticism as long as it's not harsh. I tend to say these kinds of things at the end of each chapter.**

**See ya next time!**


	2. The Journey Home

**AvatarCat13: Hey there, folks, and welcome to the newest chapter for Kataang Island Adventure 2! I got some good news, but I think I might've told you already. My sister had her baby last Tuesday night, so I'm officially an uncle! Isn't that great?**

**I've already had three reviews so far, and they're positive. So I'm gonna try working harder to upload some chapters and get as far as I can to the finish. After that, I might start on either a prequel to Kataang Island Adventure or Makorra Tribe Adventure. But no matter what I do, I'm gonna try my best as usual...even if it's not THE best.**

**So...on with the disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: Just remember, I don't own Avatar: The Last AirBender and its characters. They belong to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. I only own Aratak and some villagers, but a few others belong to Jade and Cassie (Jade Is One Of A Kind and Crazy Cowgirl Cassie). Those characters I don't own are Ziron and Ataki.**

**Uploading Date: July 8, 2013**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**The Journey Home**_

"Brutus! Here, boy!"

Aratak's black-furred wolf loped over to his master's side, barking and wagging his tail. It was soon time for her and her companions to leave the island for the first time, the first time in their lives. Aratak herself could barely keep her heart from pounding so fast that it could burst through her chest; she was just so excited.

Noticing the fox-antelope pelt lying on the rock next to her, Aratak gave a sigh, knowing that she would not be a nudist for a while. She had been a nudist her entire life, and she always would be, but this was for her friends. If Ataki, Shun, and Ziron would be willing enough to bring some clothes along, then she would too. So Aratak took the fox antelope pelt off the rock and put it on, feeling a bit tight in it, and checked herself in the mirror they found on the beach a year ago. It wasn't too comfortable for her, but she decided not to fuss about it.

She was about to join Aang and Katara near the village entrance when she felt a pair of teeth pull at her antelope hide. It was Brutus; the large black wolf was looking up at her with somber eyes.

"Of course I'm taking you with me to Republic City. I wouldn't leave without you," she told him, ruffling his head. To Masambo and Baldomero, she called, "Brutus is coming with us to Republic City. Have Sango be in charge of the other wolves; she's the second oldest wolf."

"Okay," Masambo replied with a nod. "And Aratak...you sure it's a good idea to visit the four nations so soon?"

Aratak nodded to her old friend. "Yeah. It won't be for long...just until I feel homesick or the such. But until then...I hope you and Baldomero lead the tribe well." She held out a hand for a handshake and said, "Well...see you later."

Masambo gave her a smile and gave her the handshake. "You too, chief. Make sure you write to us and send a hawk over here if you want to talk. Have a good time."

"And good luck," Baldomero added. The bronze-skinned man must have heard the chat.

Just as they finished, the villagers of the tribe surged around their chief and their new temporary chieftains, saying their good-byes. Before leaving, Aratak announced that Lu Bu (one of the strongest Benders in the village) was to be the second-in-command while Basha was the temporary medic while her mentor Shun was away. She joined up with Aang and Katara (who were already dressed into their nations' clothes) and followed them out, Brutus and Balto loping behind them.

Aratak took one last look at the village and smiled weakly, feeling tears run down her face. It would be quite a long while until she and her companions would come back. It also felt like part of her spirit was separating and remaining in the tribe while another part of her was leaving. Perhaps this side could prevent her from returning, but she still wanted to lead her tribe well.

"Aratak?" Katara had fallen back and was walking (waddling, rather, due to being pregnant) beside her. "You'll miss them, won't you?"

"Of course I will," Aratak replied as she wiped the tears away, turning back to face her. "The Amaroo Tribe has been my home for twenty-one years...I feel terrible for leaving."

Katara gave her a sympathetic and beautiful smile. "It's okay to feel like that. I felt the same way when my brother and I joined Aang in our quest to fight the Fire Nation. I was worried that our Gran Gran wouldn't take care of the village by herself since we would help out...ever since our mom died. But your village will be fine; Baldomero and Masambo will keep it well and safe."

Aratak had heard from Aang that whatever words of comfort the WaterBender had to give, it was enough to make one feel inspired. So she gave her a quick kiss on the lips and said, "You know what? You're right, Katara. I shouldn't doubt our return."

"Don't worry. You're just trying to settle your mind on a new place," Katara replied with a purr. "But you'll get used to it."

"Come on, girls!" Shun had come over, also wearing a fox antelope pelt over her body. "The others and the bison are just up ahead!"

They murmured apologies and hurried up with their comrades through the island jungle, Aratak and Shun picking up some fruit along the way. Aang was at the head of the group, talking with Ataki and Ziron, while Shun was picking up herbs she would need. Aratak knew that Shun had already packed up some herbs from the herb storage, but it was also better safe than sorry. If anyone had picked up a scrape or a bruise, the young healer would use the herbs right away.

They reached the beach at last, where the flying bison were waiting for them. Aang's own bison, Appa, was at the lead, communicating with his species with roars. The other bison looked a bit nervous, though Aratak's own bison, Imami, was looking a bit excited in the ways of a beast of burden. On one of the bison's backs, the ring-tailed flying lemurs were chatting and watching on as the young ones played around. Momo, Aang's lemur and a different species, noticed them and glided over to them, chittering like a hog monkey.

"So here we go," Ziron said, patting Imami's side. "We got the bison for you, Aang. So where do we drop them off when we get to the city?"

"At Air Temple Island," Aang replied. "It's the island our friend Toph and I worked together to build. It's a mix of all four Air Temples around the world put in one island."

Aratak nodded, seeing the look of awe on his face. "He speaks the truth...since he and Katara told me that yesterday. So...who rides on who?"

"Can we ride on Appa?" Ataki asked. "We've never ridden on the Avatar's bison before. It'll be so much fun!"

Ziron looked a bit worried at this, but Aang smiled. "Sure. He's rested up and ready to go."

"And so are we," Katara added. Then... "I hope we got plenty of food for the trip back."

"Cravings setting in?" Shun asked. "If so, then yes, we picked up plenty of fruit for the trip."

Katara nodded. "That's good. Well...shall we get going?"

So Aang and Ziron helped their mates get onto Appa and settle down while Shun got onto Imami, ready for the ride. Aratak knew who was going onto which bison; she, Aang, Katara, and Ataki were going to ride on Appa while Ziron and Shun would go with Imami. And as for the wolves, Balto was riding with the smaller group while Brutus rode with the bigger group. This was it: their time to visit the four nations and Republic City.

_Let's do this!_

"Okay then, first-time fliers to Republic City!" Aang called from the front. "Hold on tight! Keep all hands, feet, hair, paws, or tails in the saddle at all times. Other than that, enjoy the ride!" As Aratak, Katara, and Ataki shared amused looks, the Avatar whipped the reins around and called in a clear voice, "Every bison on this beach...yip yip!"

The roars of the bison caused the birds of the jungle to take flight to the other side of the island. And with another roar, they lifted themselves into the air and began flying steadily away from the home Aratak cared about. But still...this felt exhilarating, enough to take her breath away as she felt the wind blow at her hair and the clouds go by.

_This must be how it feels to fly this fast, _Aratak realized.

"So what do you think of the ride, girls?" Katara asked with a smile.

"Quite...like the other bison, actually," Aratak admitted.

Ataki, however, was ecstatic. "I've never ridden on a fully grown bison before! It's amazing!"

Aratak laughed at how eager her little sister was. "Settle down, sis," she told her, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Don't want the baby to get too excited, do we?"

"Sorry about that." But she still looked cheerful as she settled back down. "But still, it's so exciting, you know?"

"I understand."

After this, no one spoke for a few minutes except for Aang to tell Appa to rest shortly before going on. But then, Aratak decided to pass the time by asking what it was like in Republic City and other stuff in the four nations. So she settled down next to Katara and snuggled up next to her, resting her hand on her large baby bump. This made the female WaterBender blush at this but then settle down.

"What do you plan on doing once we reach the city?" Aang asked over his shoulder.

The chieftain shrugged. "I don't know; we've never been there before, remember? We've lived on an island for our entire lives. So what's it like in the city?"

Aang explained, "Well, we're just trying to work on the construction. We've gotten plenty of new buildings, but there is a lot more to do. So I might be going to meetings often."

"And while he's at the meetings, I can keep you and the others company," Katara added. "And if I'm not around either, Sokka or Toph could keep you company; they often visit the island."

"So what's there to do on this Air Temple Island?" Ataki asked as she sat carefully next to her older sister.

Katara shrugged. "Not much to do at the moment, I'm afraid. You can explore around there and even go to the beach. It's got a nice view, and you can see Republic City from across the bay."

"And if you want, Aratak, you can check out the AirBending panels in the courtyard," Aang added. "It's a two thousand-year-old historical treasure. Make sure you treat it with respect when you practice with it. If you don't mind me asking...I've wanted to ask you this..." The Avatar looked embarrassed to say it, but he asked, "If you're an AirBender, how come you eat meat?"

This made Aratak say a bit defensively, "I'm an AirBender, not an Air _Nomad_. We've lived away from civilization for over two hundred years, so we created our own society...like the differences we have with the Air Nomads. They believed eating meat is wrong, but for us, it's the circle of life."

But then, she noticed Aang look down in mentioning the Air Nomads. Even Katara gave the hermaphrodite a warning look, making her feel ashamed of herself.

"I'm sorry I said all that, Aang," she confessed. "I was just..."

To her mild surprise and relief, Aang was smiling back at her. "It's fine, Aratak. I respect the other cultures of the world, but I still want to pass on the Air Nomad traditions to the newest generation. As soon as the newest generation is born," he put in with a smile at Katara, who smiled back at him.

"We still don't know if the baby will be an AirBender yet," his mate reminded him. "He or she...and I'm still hoping for a girl...could be another Bender like a WaterBender. Or a non-Bender for all we know."

"I think I know what our baby will be," Ataki said with a smile. "I'm betting he or she is a FireBender. I just know it."

Katara then told her, "You never know. My parents weren't Benders, and neither was Sokka. But strangely enough...I was the only one in the family who was a Bender. And life is like a box of sweets: you don't know what you'll get until you see it."

Ataki laid back with her hands on her stomach. "Wow...you sound wise when you say that."

"Don't thank us for that," Aang spoke up from the front. "Thank our friend Uncle Iroh."

After they finished talking for a bit, the bison stopped at another small island for a meal break. Balto and Brutus were on the beach already, tugging at a stick in a tug-of-war game. But as Aratak sank her teeth into a pear, she wondered if wolves were allowed into society. She had heard that the people in the civilized world didn't mind bison and lemurs, so why not wolves? And she wondered how people would react if they discovered that she was an AirBender. Aang and Katara were the only outsiders who knew about her being an AirBender, but she guessed there should be a good time to let the others know.

They were up in the air again as they flew across the ocean, the wind blowing into their faces. They had switched one person and one wolf this time; Shun and Balto would be riding with the main group, and Ziron and Brutus would be behind them with Imami and Ataki. It took a bit to switch around due to having two pregnant women journeying with them, and it took a bit longer to feed the wolves, bison, and lemurs. But after they were fully-fed and full, they had to wait for nearly an hour until the bison were ready to fly again.

Finally, as the sun began to set, Aratak heard Aang call, "I think we're here!"

Quickly, Aratak and Shun made their way up to the front and gasped. The city was now before them in the sunset, buildings scattered here and there. Seagulls were floating in the cool breeze, which made Aratak shiver. She had never experienced cold weather like this before, and neither had her companions, due to always living in warm weather. Once they get into warmer clothes or get blankets, it would be fine.

"So here it is: Republic City," Katara said, waving a hand towards the city. "It's not completely finished yet, but we're getting there."

"It's...a-amazing," Aratak rasped, feeling her teeth clatter a bit from the cold breeze. "We've never seen a city before...we've only read of them in books."

Katara nodded before noticing her and Shun shivering. "You cold? I'm sorry we didn't bring any blankets with us. I promise that you two can warm up once we get to our house."

Shun replied, "It's fine. And yes, we'd love to warm up. Thank you," she finished with a bow.

"Hang on tight, everyone!" Aang called. "We're gonna go in for a landing! Yip yip!"

So Aratak and Shun held on to the sides of the saddle while Katara edged her way over to her mate and wrapped her arms around him. Just then, Appa dipped his head a bit and flew down towards an island that laid some distance away from the city and in the bay. Aratak felt Shun wrap her arms around her torso and blushed; it felt nice to be this close to the medic woman and one of her closest friends. The buildings were getting closer yet a bit farther away as they finally landed on Air Temple Island.

Once they hit the ground and got off the bison, Aratak looked around in amazement. This was somewhat like her island home except these trees had no leaves currently. Patches of snow were here and there, and there were even some cat owls around here, out on their nightly hunt. Aratak wondered what more was like her island, but she was tired after a day of travelling.

_I can't wait to explore this place tomorrow._

**...**

"Wow...this place looks lovely," Shun remarked when they got inside the main house. Aratak, Ataki, and Ziron joined the medic woman as they looked around the area.

They had reached the main room, which was behind the temple itself, where they had to go through to get to the house Aang and Katara lived at. It was a bit big, not the biggest in the world, but it had a nice view of the entire island at this point. Upstairs would lead to the men's and women's dorms, but Aang and Katara had an entire room for themselves, since they were the first people to set foot on Air Temple Island.

As for the main room, it had the same kind of stuff that reminded Aang of the Air Nomads he grew up with. There were the paintings of old Air Nomad traditions, all picked up from the Northern Air Temple. Right outside the temple, Aang could hear the lemurs chirping; they had dropped the lemurs off in the woods around the island while the bison flew off to settle in the newly-made caves.

"It IS lovely," Katara said with a smile. "Now let's get you into your dorms. Guys in one dorm and girls in the other."

"It's nothing against married couples," Aang added, seeing the disappointed look on the faces of Ziron and Ataki. "It's just tradition, that's all."

Ziron nodded. "Okay."

They hauled the stuff up to the dorms, where the guys and girls split up to settle down. Aang saw that Ziron looked lonely without Ataki by his side, but he knew he would have to get used to it for now. The rooms nearly looked the same except the men's beds would be near the doorway, and the girls' beds would be near the window. Once they younger man was all settled in, Aang left the room with a good-night and headed out to the main hallway, where he met up with Katara, who was giving a good-night kiss on the lips with Aratak. His pregnant wife must have gotten the other women settled in.

"What a day it's been, right, sweetheart?" Aang asked her, kissing her gently on the cheek.

"Yes it was, sweetie," Katara replied as she pulled him towards their room and, once they got there, shut the door. She rested herself gently onto the bed and asked, "Did you see how confused the islanders looked when we got here? They seemed lost without knowing about civilization. I hate to say this, but...do you think it's a mistake bringing them here?"

In response, Aang walked over to her and gently pinned her arms to the bed, kissing her lightly on the lips. "No. In fact, I think it's a great chance for them to learn...but yeah, we can teach them about society. One step at a time, though."

Katara smiled up at him and said, "I'm happy you feel that way. We're meeting up with Sokka and Toph tomorrow at the park so that they can meet Aratak and the others. Is that okay?" As Aang nodded, she yawned softly, "I'm fixing to lie down now...and can you wrap your arms around my stomach for the night? The baby will appreciate it."

"Of course I will," Aang told her as he let her up to change into her night clothes. "I can't wait for tomorrow. And I love you."

"Love you too. Good-night."

Aang watched as Katara finished dressing and nestled among the blankets in their queen-sized bed before disrobing himself and joining her. He laid down behind her and smoothly wrapped his arms around her large pregnant belly, feeling their baby stir inside her. When he lifted her robes a bit to massage the delicate skin, Katara turned to smile at him a bit and lick his cheek before falling asleep. Just the feeling of being with his greatest treasures was enough to make him fall asleep right away.

Thoughts of the two of them showing Aratak around made him feel like he wanted to wake up again. But he was tired after the journey...and that made him fall deeper into slumber.

_**To be continued...**_

**...**

**AvatarCat13: There we go, folks. Chapter two is done, and if there's something there that you don't like, let me know and I'll fix it. Sorry about the delay; I've had a lot of other stuff on my mind...and laptop at that. The next chapter will feature Sokka, Toph, and someone else...maybe. So once you review, you can guess what'll come up next, and I'll soon make a lemon. But first, I've got something to say.**

**The Warrior Cats book Tallstar's Revenge is already out, and I'm getting it in a few more days. Same goes for The Legend Of Korra Book 1 for the DVD; after that comes, then I'll start watching Avatar: The Last AirBender again. And I'm also getting part 2 of The Legend Of Korra novelization. Just to share a little something with you.**

**Remember to read and review, everyone! Those who do will get a virtual kabob with their favorite kinds of BBQ food on there; that's what we're having for dinner tonight. I don't allow flames, but I DO allow advice, questions of any kind, and constructive criticism. Just as long as it's not harsh.**

**See ya next time!**


	3. Republic City (part 1)

**AvatarCat13: Hey there, folks, and welcome to the newest chapter of Kataang Island Adventure 2! I've seen the views on it, and it's getting better by the day, every hour, minute, and second. But still, let's go over what could happen in this story.**

**So far, Aratak and her friends are introduced to Air Temple Island and are getting ready to explore the city. What do you guys think will happen? I know Sokka and Toph will be appearing, but you want anyone else to appear in this chapter? I might include a rabid fan of the Avatar, an old enemy, or even the return of a certain animal. But it's up to you to find out what'll happen next.**

**So now, here's the disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last AirBender doesn't belong to me, and I won't make money from this story. Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko owns this series, but I DO own the characters Aratak and Shun. Ataki and Ziron, in the meantime, belong to Crazy Cowgirl Cassie and Jade respectively.**

**Warning: Mild sexual scene and nudity**

**Uploading Date: July 10, 2013**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**Republic City (part 1)**_

The blankets were very comfortable as Aratak nestled in her new bed. But the sunlight from the window made her finally open her eyes and look outside. Already, the lemurs from her island were making themselves at home, chittering and moving around in the tree outside the window. Yet she already felt hot under the new clothes and the blankets, so she had taken off the pelt she wore the night before. She finally got out of bed, stretching her slender muscles and headed out of the bedroom door.

But once she was out of the room, she slightly realized that taking the only piece of clothing she had off wasn't a good idea. It was already a bit cold in the morning, and it had been snowing outside. Aratak supposed that the others were still asleep, so she would wait until they woke up and headed down the hallway and into the living room. There, she found Aang, who was looking through some scrolls and dressed up in his master AirBending robes, while Katara came in from the kitchen and set down a tray of freshly-grown vegetable. When they saw her, they smiled.

"Morning, Aratak," Aang greeted her as he and Katara kissed her on each cheek. Looking over her body, he curiously asked, "Any particular reason you're currently naked?"

"Sorry about this," Aratak said with a part shy and part sly grin, blushing. "I just felt comfortable while being naked...but I have to admit that it's cold today. Still, I hope you don't mind."

To her relief, the Avatar nodded with a smile. "It's fine. But be sure to wear clothing while out in public, and then we'll get some new clothes for you. It's not that we have anything bad against nudity; besides, Katara and I were nudists for two weeks, remember? It's just...I don't think it'd be good if people would accept talking to a woman with a penis."

"Aang!" Katara hissed, nudging his shoulder and glaring sternly at him. Aang merely shrugged and gave her an ashamed smile.

Aratak shrugged. "That's fine. And it's why I'd like for me and my Tribemates to get some new clothing while we're here." She took a hold of Aang's arms and wrapped them around her waist as she purred, "So when do we go exploring the city?"

Katara spoke up, "After we all have breakfast...as soon as the other wake up. You want to go and wake them up? Or see if they're up and ready?"

"Sure." Aratak gave Aang a quick kiss on the lips before walking over to the pregnant Water Tribe woman. "And can I help you in the kitchen?"

"If you want."

So Aratak gave Katara a quick kiss too before starting to turn away. But as she turned away to go upstairs, she felt someone gently slap her behind, making her yelp and turn around. It was Katara who had done that, but she had turned away, trying to look innocent.

"What was that for?" Aratak asked, a playful glare on her face. When Katara shrugged while whistling innocently, she said, "I could tickle you for that...but I don't want to play rough since you're pregnant and all. And that kinda felt right," she added, gently rubbing the smacked area on her left buttock.

Aang gave both women an amused smile. "I guess being pregnant give you some no-hit-back protection, Katara."

Katara merely said, "I guess so."

While the two of them went to get some breakfast, Aratak went upstairs to get Ataki, Shun, and Ziron to wake up. Before she did that, though, she went back to her room and put on the animal skin she took off the night before. She went over to Shun's room and stopped when she spotted her dozing soundly in her bed, the sunlight catching her hair and turning it golden.

_Wow...she looks beautiful today, _Aratak thought, feeling her heart thud and a certain body part hardening. _I always knew she was beautiful, but..._

Yet she shook the thought away, recalling her love for Aang and Katara. And she also recalled her former mate: Nanuk, who had died while carrying their child. Aratak had blamed a creature on the island named Sharpclaw for killing her, but it turned out to be a genuine accident. She would never forget her beloved Nanuk, but she was also happy being mates with the Avatar and his mate. And yet...her heart thudded again when Shun finally woke up, blinking sleep from her deep brown eyes.

"Good morning, Aratak," she said with a sleepy smile. "Did you sleep well?"

Aratak nodded. "Good morning to you too, Shun. And yes, I slept well. Are you ready for exploring the city today?"

Shun sat up in her bed and then stepped out of it. "Yes...after I get something to eat first."

A low grumbling in the healer's stomach told the chieftain that she was indeed hungry. Plus, they hadn't had anything to eat the past night since they were all tired after the journey to Air Temple Island. Then after breakfast, there would be exploring the city, learning about society, and meeting all kinds of new people like Katara's brother, who had supposedly come to the city to check up on them.

They were just going to go downstairs when they heard groaning and panting, and there was a scent of sweat. Aratak and Shun shared a look before the latter went back up the stairs to wake the others. This left the former to edge down the stairs and listen to what she was hearing...and it began making Aratak feel aroused.

"Aang...harder...do it harder..."

Aratak peeked around the corner and felt her jaw drop a bit. Both Aang and Katara were once again naked, and Aratak realized what they were doing: they were mating. Aang was behind his wife and thrusting into her, and Katara was on the sofa on all fours, moaning loudly like a wild armadillo lioness in heat while her breasts were jiggling with each small thrust. Plus, his hands were softly massaging her swollen abdomen as he wrapped his arms around her during their lovemaking, resulting in a passionate kiss as they climaxed.

Seeing them together like that made the chieftain feel her manhood start to harden and erect again, almost like when they had spent one glorious night away from the village. Aratak had realized that she stepped out a bit too much out of safety and wondered if they wouldn't notice her. That way, this scene could be forgotten. But when they looked ahead, they spotted Aratak in time, their eyes wide with surprise, and gasped.

"I-I'm sorry," Aratak yelped, hiding her face. "I didn't mean to walk in on you..."

Quickly, Katara pulled away from Aang until he was out of her and covered up with a robe. "It's okay...we're not mad at you," she panted, a hand over her heaving chest. "You just surprised us, that's all."

"Okay," Aratak said. "And by the way, why were you two mating in the living room? You were just on the couch when I left...and you've been humping each other until I came back."

"Sorry. It was just something that randomly came in our heads," Aang admitted as he covered his sweaty body too, his cheeks also red. "You know...something a couple does with each other...in an awkward way."

Aratak didn't quite believe him, but she shrugged it off. It was a new day, after all.

**...**

Minutes later, Shun, Ataki, and Ziron had freshened up and were already having breakfast. Aratak was relieved that Katara and Aang had cleaned up any mess they had made during their "alone time" together. Anyways, breakfast consisted of mostly vegetables because Aang was a strict vegetarian...but there were also some fish, which made Aratak think that Katara still stuck to her tribe's aquatic diet. They were soon done with breakfast and took a tour around the island, which took over an hour to an hour and a half or two, until they decided to go to the city.

For the tour around the city, they had to take Appa with them. The other bison wouldn't know their way around yet, so Aang's old companion would have to do. There was a ferry at the newly-made docks, but a bison would be even more fun in Aratak's eyes. As they travelled over towards the city, the bay beneath them was as clear and blue as the sky, yet unlike at the Amaroo island, they couldn't see any sea animals right away. In the sky, seagulls were fishing for prey, snatching some from roaming sea hawks.

Aratak got to see a closer look of the city once they got nearer. There were mixes of tall brown and gray buildings scattered here and there, and she was happy to see a few trees dotted around the area; she had felt a bit uncomfortable about not seeing any nature. She also saw that out of the three claws of land that stuck out towards the ocean, only the middle one had the city built on its ground while the others had nature.

Then...she spotted a big area that had plenty of trees and a large pond in the middle. This made her feel like nature really did have a place in Republic City.

"Look!" Aratak yelped, feeling like a child again as she pointed to the area. "What's that place?"

"Over there?" Aang asked as he nodded towards it. "That's the city park. I requested for it for the people to enjoy nature and for nature to thrive in the city."

"Besides..." Katara put in. "...we're meeting Sokka and Toph there."

Ziron looked down too. "And by the way, you think Dad might be around here? I'd like to see him here in the city sometime soon."

Aratak knew who he was talking about: General Izan of the Fire Nation. Supposedly a cold and stern man, the general had sent him over to the island to handle his rebellious juvenile behavior. The tribe had taken him in and taught him their ways, and it was thanks to Ziron along with help from Aang and Katara that Izan turned around. In fact, he had also taken Aratak's sister as his mate, and Ataki was six months pregnant with their baby.

Ataki laid a hand on her mate's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. He might come around here."

"So let's go already," Shun interrupted, sitting in between them. "We can't waste the whole day talking on a bison."

"You got that right," Aang told the healer with his usual spirited grin. "Appa, yip yip!"

Appa let out a massive roar, waved his wide flat tail, and began to descend from the sky and towards the trees. Fortunately, there was enough wide open space for even a flying bison to land, so he landed in the middle of a grassy area. He laid out his tail, ready to drop off the humans on his back, and they began their descent down. Aang and Ziron were busy helping Katara and Ataki down, but Aratak and Shun easily slid down as if they were on slippery rocks under a huge waterfall. Once they were on the ground, Appa roared and took off.

Though the bison was gone, Aratak knew that Aang would be carrying a bison whistle in his pocket. But now she could enjoy the scenery of the park and the creatures around them, like black-feathered pantherkeets fluttering around. There were also squirrel foxes scurrying through the trees and squealing as they tussled around for a fish. And as they walked on a bit more in the cool air, Aratak heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Hey! Over here, guys!"

Aratak turned to see three people heading over towards them. One of them seemed to be Katara's brother, tall with tanned skin, brown hair tied in some kind of knot, Water Tribe armor, and blue eyes. The smallest of the newcomers was a teenage girl with shaggy black hair and strangely pale eyes, complete with Earth Kingdom clothing. And the last one confused Aratak: this woman was wearing dark green clothing, and she also had blue-green eyes and short brown hair...but it was her face that confused her. She had some kind of painting on her face, swirls and markings of red and black on white.

"Hey Sokka!" Aang called, sharing a handshake with the other man. "So you, Toph, and Suki finally came here, huh?"

The person who was "Sokka" said with a grin, "You better believe it. You told us to be here at this time, but WE came here earlier."

"Only because you sent that hawk of yours to peck us awake," the smaller teenager grumbled.

"Sorry to break this up, but who's that?" The painted-faced woman was now looking over at Aratak and her Tribemates with curiosity.

"Sorry about that," Katara said with a laugh, waddling carefully to them. She nudged Aratak a bit forward and said, "This here is Aratak, the leader of the tribe we told you about. And Aratak, this is my brother Sokka, his girlfriend Suki, and our friend Toph."

Aratak took the chance to bow to them. "It's great to meet you three. And the three people behind me are my sister Ataki, her mate Ziron, and our healer Shun."

Toph raised an eyebrow. "Did you say 'mate'? I thought only animals were mates?"

At this, Katara scolded her lightly, "Don't say it like that. It means that they're boyfriend and girlfriend...like Sokka and Suki."

"Don't worry about it," Shun said cheerfully. "And weren't we going to get new clothes today?"

Hearing that, Sokka chuckled. "Always want to get to the good stuff, huh? Well...I can help you with that...after a bite to eat, of course. You guys hungry?"

"We've already eaten breakfast," Aang told him. "But...it was around eight in the morning when we all woke up. So it'll be close to around lunchtime...and I'm a bit hungry myself," he added with a blush as Aratak heard his stomach growl.

"I didn't eat that much myself," Ataki added. "I know I gotta eat sometimes for our baby, but for some odd reason, I didn't feel that hungry. Maybe it was mostly a veggie breakfast."

"Yeah, I don't care a lot for that either," Toph agreed with her. "Plus, there's a noodle shop somewhere near the park, so let's do what Bonehead says and let's go!"

Aratak nodded along with her other Tribemates, feeling like she could use a bite to eat after all the exploring. It had taken them nearly two hours to tour the entire island, even going to the more wild areas, and then they had to go to the city. So she was feeling quite hungry.

_Besides..._ she thought, _...how hard can it be?_

**...**

But...eating in public wasn't as easy as Aratak thought. When they went to a nearby noodle shop, Aratak had seen the menu and was amazed by the dishes made; at her island, it was simply meat cooked over a fire, fruits, and water. So she ordered some roast duck along with seaweed noodles and, when they got their food, picked the meat up in her hands and chowed down through it, slightly ignoring the stunned looks she got from the others. Eating out was harder than she thought, she had realized.

Trying the noodles was even harder. Aratak had never seen noodles before, and she had no idea how to eat them right now. So she did the only thing she could think of doing and picked up a handful of it, slurping them up like a drink. Then she noticed the looks she got from Aang, Katara, and the others (minus Toph for some reason) and blushed.

"Aratak?" Suki asked, eyebrow raised. "Do you need help with that?"

Aratak nodded, feeling that they were being watched by everyone in the noodle shop. "Yeah. Just remember, we've lived on an island for our entire lives."

To her amazement, Suki replied, "So did I. But you see those chopsticks next to your food. Pick the first chopstick up and hold it like this." To show her, the Kyoshi Warrior picked up said stick and held it with her thumb and middle finger. "Then grip the second one with your index finger."

Then Aratak followed her example and managed to hold them right. Suki praised her, "That's great, Aratak! Now hold them steady and make sure you don't let them slip. Practice grabbing the meat in front of you."

So Aratak did that, but she accidentally let the meat go and let it plop down on the plate. She felt embarrassed about it, but the others gave her encouraging smiles.

"Okay, that was close," Sokka interjected. "Next step is to pick the meat up at a good angle...just try forty-five degrees from your plate. If you feel that it's unstable, feel free to try again."

Giving a sigh, Aratak repeated what Suki taught her, taking perfect care to not let the meat slip this time. And to her amazement, she finally managed to hold it high without slipping. Then she felt like it would make more sense with the noodles, so she set the meat down carefully and picked up some noodles. They were twirled around a lot around the edge of the chopsticks, thus making them easier to eat without slipping off. Perhaps with this kind of guidance, living among civilized people could be much easier.

Clapping noises made her look up and see the others give her congratulatory expressions, making her feel happy. Aang was the first to say, "Great job, Aratak!"

"Thanks, Aang," Aratak said. "But I got it kinda sloppy at first."

"Not for me," Ataki spoke up. "Ziron was born in the Fire Nation, and he taught me how to use them well."

Aratak gave her little sister a frisky glare. "Lucky you, sis."

"Okay, enough of the mushiness," Toph barked, making them stop. "Congrats to you guys. NOW can we eat?"

Katara rolled her blue eyes. "Of course we can, Toph. No need to be impatient."

This made them laugh and continue their lunch.

**...**

They had finished lunch and were on their way to the tailor's, Aratak feeling full after eating. She reveled in having learned to make chopsticks, something she should tell the tribe about once they got back. Once they were finished taking "bathroom breaks" as Sokka called it, they continued their way to the tailor's place.

When they got there, Shun, Ataki, and Ziron were the only ones to pick out new clothes. Due to being a WaterBender, Shun picked out the same kind of clothes Katara had worn before getting pregnant; she also got her long black hair tied into a long ponytail and what Sokka called "hair loopies". Both Ziron and Ataki got some Fire Nation-colored clothing, Ziron wearing a red shirt along with an orange vest and red pants; he also wore a black belt and an orange headband. And as for Ataki, she wore the kind of maternity clothes she heard pregnant Fire Nation women wore.

That left Aratak out.

_What about me? I'd like some new clothes too._ But Aratak knew better than to whine about it, for she knew whining about stuff would not get her anywhere.

"Don't worry; we'll get some new clothes for you," Aang told her, resting a hand on her shoulder as if seeing her expression. "We'll ask some of the Air Acolytes if they can let you borrow some of their robes. After all, you're an AirBender like me."

But then...it happened.

"An AIRBENDER?!" Sokka yelped, pointing at Aratak. His eyes were bulging a bit in their sockets as he rasped, "You're another AirBender?! I-I thought Aang was the last AirBender!"

Aratak shook her head. "Nope. I heard rumors of being an AirBender, so I decided to try it out. I was a bit close to the spirits thanks to a friend of mine."

"Okay, I don't get it," Toph spoke up, pointing a finger at the chieftain too. "This doesn't make any sense to me. How on earth did you become an AirBender anyways?"

Katara and Aang didn't say anything, but they shared an uncomfortable glance. Aratak knew that these two were the only outsiders (besides General Izan) who knew she was an AirBender. But now, the cat-owl was apparently out of the bag, so it was time to let it out of the bag _completely._ There was no hiding it anymore.

"You really want to know, Toph?" Aratak asked. When Toph nodded, the hermaphrodite said, "Then let's let the others get their clothes, and then we'll talk."

_**To be continued...**_

**...**

**AvatarCat13: I hope you all like this chapter, and sorry about the small lemon scene near the start of the chapter. But if you find something you don't like in the chapter, let me know, and I'll do what I can to fix it. And I hope you like Aratak's antics with using the chopsticks, then you'll hear their reactions of the origins and traditions of the tribe. And finally, here's some lampshading for any future chapters coming up.**

**Jade had asked me if I could do a lemon chapter for Ziron and Ataki...so I said I'll see what I can do. And I WILL try and do it. I've also decided on perhaps having either a new villain or an old villain like Long Feng or Hama show up. There'll also be conflict, some drama, and even a lemon scene or two.**

**Read and review! Those who review will get a virtual plush doll of a Dachshund; my dog Sony got very sick today and almost died, so we're helping her all we can. Flames are NOT allowed, but I welcome advice, questions of any kind, and constructive criticism as long as it's not harsh.**

**See ya next time!**


	4. Republic City (part 2)

**AvatarCat13: Hey there, folks, and welcome to the newest chapter for Aratak's Journey. Before you ask anything, I shortened the greeting because it would use up more words by saying the full title. So...yeah, you know the story now.**

**You can tell by the last chapter that Aratak's starting to fall in love with Shun, and I'll explain why. But...I'm gonna have to wait until later to tell you guys to keep you all guessing; sorry I can't tell yet. For now, we'll let Aang and Katara continue with their relationship with Aratak. And today is when the original series came to an end, so Happy Avatar Day, everyone!**

**Now that that's out of the way, let's go on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: Do I own Avatar: The Last AirBender? Nope. It belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. I only own Aratak and Shun, but I don't own the two characters Ataki and Ziron. They belong to Crazy Cowgirl Cassie and Jade's One Of A Kind respectively.**

**Uploading Date: July 19, 2013**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**Republic City (part 2)**_

Once the clothes were paid for, Aratak led them out towards the piazza outside and sat near the fountain, dipping her feet in the water. Aang and Katara sat on either side of her...along with Shun sitting next to Katara for some odd reason. She looked really pleasant in her new Water Tribe robes, along with Ataki and Ziron in their Fire Nation robes. Sokka, Toph, and Suki sat at the foot of the fountain, mainly because Toph wanted to feel the ground for a bit before getting her feet dipped in the water.

When Aratak had learned about Toph being blind, she was shocked. In her Tribe, a blind person would have been retired right away...except to help gather some fruit. But it appeared that blind people provided some services in civilization along with people who were deaf or mute. She sat back down between Aang and Katara, thinking over her history in the tribe.

"Well...I was born to a woman who had Water Tribe blood twenty-one years ago," Aratak began her tale. "The tribe that I lead has people who have the blood of each of the four nations in their veins. My other mother was an EarthBender, and-"

"Hold on a minute," Suki spoke up, looking baffled. "I just got a little confused there. Did you just say 'other mother?'"

Aratak nodded. "Yeah. My other mother was a hermaphrodite, and so am I."

Sokka, Suki, and even Toph gawked at her in awe. Then Sokka remarked, "Wow...I wasn't really expecting that. You DO look quite attractive for a hermaphrodite, by the way."

Suki nudged his ribs with her shoulder and asked in a snarky tone, "You DO realize that you have a girlfriend here?"

"Hey, it's fine, Suki," Aratak told her with a smile, though she blushed a bit at the statement. "That's what Aang and Katara thought when we first met. Anyways, I have Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe blood in me, so our parents decided to teach me WaterBending and EarthBending. I only learned one WaterBending move, but EarthBending...it was like a nightmare to me."

"Kinda like what I had to go through in training," Aang added. "Because Air and Earth are two opposite elements, like Water and Fire are to each other."

Katara nodded with pride towards her husband. "That's right, Aang."

Aratak went on, "But when Ataki was born five years after me, I soon found my AirBending. There were two bullies who liked picking on me because I was a hermaphrodite. But when they pushed me to the ground, I suddenly flipped onto my feet and pushed them back so hard that air came out of my palms. And as for the bullies, they were reprimanded."

Toph nodded. "That's what I want to hear. Bullies getting their just desserts."

"Are you talking about when that gang at Ba Sing Se attacked you?" Katara asked. When Toph nodded, the WaterBender said, "It's all in the past now. Besides, they knew never to mess with a master EarthBender slash MetalBender and a pregnant WaterBender," she added with a chuckle, smoothing a hand over her swollen belly. "And a wolf just two weeks ago."

"Really?" Aratak was baffled. "What did Balto do?"

Aang spoke up, "We never saw what happened, but she told us the story."

**One Month Ago...**

Just a month after the wedding of Aang and Katara, they had gone over to Ba Sing Se to help Fire Lord Zuko, King Kuei, and the other world leaders in building Republic City. The Avatar and his wife had already planned on going to the island before that to visit their old friends in the Amaroo tribe. Yet Balto, their pet wolf, had always been seen as an untrustworthy wild animal and a savage...until this day.

Katara and Balto had headed over to the nearest restaurant, the former feeling that she would need to eat up to feed her unborn offspring. She had ordered a few dishes including fish, rice, and stewed sea prunes and mixed them all together so that it could taste good. And thanks to being pregnant, not only were her cravings high, but her appetite had increased as well. In a few minutes, she was already finished and undergoing a bit of laziness at the moment.

_I hope you got well-fed, my baby, _she thought as she leaned back a bit. _I ate as much as I could, so I hope you can settle down._

As a response, just as Katara laid a hand on her belly, she felt a bump beneath her hand as the baby kicked to let her know. This made her smile and get ready to go see Aang again when she heard a familiar voice.

"You better get away from me!" It was Toph. "Do you know who I am? I'm the greatest EarthBender and MetalBender in the world!"

"And do YOU know who WE are?" a tough male voice snarled. "We're the owner of this path! Now you better get out of our way!"

Toph spoke up, "I'm just passing through! Now YOU get out of MY way!"

Just then, a grunt and a thud made Katara gasp and uneasily get to her feet. She laid out some money on the table, hurried out of the restaurant, and called Balto by her side. When they rounded a corner and into an alley, she gasped when she saw a group of men surrounding an unconscious body. She noticed the familiar clothing, and anger made her growl as they began to kick viciously at her.

"Leave her alone!" Katara snapped, moving over to Toph as fast as a pregnant woman could run. "She was just passing through! Who do you think we are?"

The man glared at her. "We're the Poison Tiger-Snake gang, and she..." He pointed at the form of the unconscious Toph. "...was getting in our way; just because you're war heroes doesn't mean you demand respect. So we taught her a lesson she wouldn't forget; we knew she couldn't sense a flying opponent, so one of my boys jumped up and aimed an ice ball to the head. Now take her and leave or we'll do you the same."

Katara just stood her ground, noticing Balto look rather tense with narrowed yellow eyes. "YOU attacked her first! If I see you hurt her again, I'll have to knock some sense into you! So what do you say, punks?" She glared around at them. "Do you really want to start this again?"

And then...the leader of the gang slapped her really hard across the face. She looked back up at him to glare at him, but he ended up slapping her other cheek in reply; both slaps were so hard that blood started to trickle out of her mouth. He aimed a kick at her pregnant belly, but she got out of the way only to be kicked in the shin, making her fall back a bit and keep herself from falling by holding up her weight with one arm.

"You think it's okay to hurt the way I run this joint?" he snarled. He raised a foot above her and went on with malice, "How about I do the same...to that little brat of yours!"

_Oh no...he's really going to do it! Spirits help me!_

Those who watched this heard what was neither a bark nor a yelp, but it was like a roar. Before the blow was landed, Katara saw Balto rise up behind her and leap at the man, snarling with pure white fangs bared as he headed for the throat. The man instinctively held an arm out to block the blow, but Balto brought him crashing down towards the ground as he tore at the arm. The wolf leapt back and then struck again, this time attacking before the man could defend himself, and Katara heard his yells of horror as the scent of blood made her recoil.

The people who watched quickly shoved Balto away, the latter snarling and pacing, his muzzle dark red. Katara inched her way over and saw something that made her gasp: the man's throat had been torn out. Balto's wild wolf instincts were rising...

**(Author's Note: I can explain how Toph got beaten. She can't sense flying opponents, so they took advantage of that.)**

**Present Day**

"That sounds like a nasty wound," Aratak said with a wince. "And what happened next?"

"Well..." Aang continued the tale after his wife did. "...one of the gang members threatened to have Balto put down after what happened, so we brought him to the authorities and explained of all the stuff Katara said had happened. Katara told them about how they attacked Toph first and then attacked her before Balto jumped in. They said that they had been searching to put the gang to justice, and when the gang leader survived, they dropped the charges against us."

"But that man DID survive, right?" Shun asked.

Sokka nodded. "Sure did. But I gave him a bonk on the head with Boomerang to remember to NEVER hurt my sister...unlike a certain someone who got her pregnant," he added, giving Aang a stern glare.

Aratak was wondering why Sokka wasn't happy for them having a baby. Before she could ask him anything, Katara insisted, "Aang didn't break his promise on purpose, Sokka. I was the one who told him to...and the island caused my hormones to act weird."

"I actually AM happy for you guys having your kid," Sokka argued back. "I was just upset about the promise being broken, that's all. And I had NO idea you guys stayed with a nudist tribe until just recently!"

"Aw, you told them that?" Aratak asked Aang and Katara in a pretend whine. When they nodded and looked mildly ashamed, she smiled and went on, "But that's okay. Any friend or family of yours is a friend of the tribe. That's what's important in the Amaroo tribe: the value of friends and family bonding."

It was true, she had realized as she said this. Aratak had started valuing this ever since Nanuk had died, making sure no one died under her watch unless if they died of natural causes. Her parents and uncle (the chieftain before her) had raised her and Ataki in these ways, and it made wonders while building the tribe up. That was why they let outsiders sometimes visit and mate with the islanders to build more family bonding.

To break the silence, Ataki spoke up, "Can we explore the city more?"

**...**

True to Ataki's question, Team Avatar and the islanders went off into the city to explore some more. They had gone over to the park again so that Aratak and her Tribemates could enjoy being around nature like on their island home. Several animals thrived around there like lizard crows and elephant rats, and there were even some places other people hadn't seen yet.

People greeted the former group with such dignity and respect that Aratak was left feeling a bit surprised; she knew they had saved the world from the Fire Lord, but she hadn't expected them to actually BE war heroes. But still, she guessed they took pride in being the winners of a long war...even if they faced tragedy. Her island tribe was not part of the war due to moving away from the nations seventy years before the Hundred Year War began. And as for the treatment the islanders got from the citizens...some greeted them with kindness, others with mistrust.

Once they were finished with talking a stroll for a bit, they stopped for some ice cream, a sweet dish that came from the Fire Nation. Aratak loved this treat; it was rather sweet yet good, but some of it got onto her nose, making her stare down at it in surprise. Aang and Katara smiled with her, and while the others were distracted, Katara leaned forth and quickly licked it off for her. Fortunately, no one else looked at them, so they just laughed at this.

But so far, nothing exciting went on...until at around four.

"The Fire Lord! The Fire Lord's here!"

Aratak bristled briefly at this, hearing of a Fire Lord who had almost wiped out the entire world. But she knew that there was a new Fire Lord on the throne, supposedly one who wouldn't cause any more damage. The others were getting up to head over towards the park entrance, so she got up after them and her Tribemates and walked over to a gathering crowd.

When she spotted the current Fire Lord among the crowd, she nearly flinched. Not because of his position in power, but also in his appearance. He was a man of around twenty-three years of age, but one side of his face was rugged yet handsome...but the other side was horrifically scarred. It looked like someone had swiped fiery claws at him.

"Zuko!" Aang greeted him with a bow. "How've you been, Sifu Hotman?"

"Didn't I tell you to stop calling me that?" the scarred man growled. But his face softened into a smile as he bowed back and said, "It's good to see you too, Aang. And I've been doing well."

Aang nodded. "That's great! We got some friends for you to introduce." He beckoned for the islanders to come forward and said, "The woman with the animal pelts on is Aratak, and she's the leader of the island tribe we told you about. The young pregnant woman is her sister Ataki, the man beside her is her boyfriend Ziron, and the last woman is Shun; she's their healer."

To the islanders, Sokka added, "And this is our good ol' buddy, Fire Lord Zuko. He's the Fire Lord as you can tell by now."

Zuko looked around at them with a nod. "Good to meet you all. And did you say Ziron?" As said person stepped forward, he remarked, "General Izan said something about having a son who went to live with a tribe. So you're him?"

"Yes sir," Ziron replied, bowing low. "And I'm here with my...girlfriend, and as you can see, she's expecting our first child." As he said this, he shared a smile with Ataki.

"Izan will be happy to hear this," Zuko replied. "He's been telling us for months that he's always wanted a grandchild. Why don't I invite him over to the city so he can see you?"

This made the Fire Nation-born islander smile a bit. "That'd be really great. Thank you, sir."

"So what brings you over to Republic City?" Katara asked as she let Toph and Suki greet him before her.

The Fire Lord replied, "I came over to see how you were all doing. That, and I came to oversee the construction of that monorail station Toph wanted to build."

"It's getting good," Toph replied, giving him the thumbs up. "I don't need to see how it looks; I'll know it looks great."

"And if you don't mind, I'll tell you how it looks." Toph made a nod, so he said, "It's looking great so far. We just need to get a few finishing touches on the tracks with your MetalBending companions, but we can get through it. And after that, we'll start working on the monorails themselves."

Toph commented, "That sounds right to me."

That was when Suki remarked, "You just can't wait for the monorail to finish, can you? Can we get a ride once you get done with it?"

Zuko shook his head. "Sorry, but it's for transportation only. If you want fun, then you can ride on Appa instead."

"Or some of the other bison," Aratak added. This caused Team Avatar (minus Team Avatar) and even Zuko to gaze at her, their eyes wide at what she said. So she said, "Yes, we've got flying bison on our island, but we brought some back to give our contribution to the city. And we also brought over some ring-tailed winged lemurs."

For a moment, she wondered if she shouldn't have said that immediately. Aratak didn't want people all around her, hounding and questioning her about the animals arriving. But still, she wanted to give something to the city in honor of Aang and Katara helping her and the tribe. That, and they were her mates...her lovers...and she would do anything for them.

Then Sokka said, "That sounds right to me. It's about time Appa and Momo found their species again. But where will you find more on your island?"

"No need to worry," Shun said. "We still got more back home."

"That works too," Sokka said with a small nod.

But as they continued talking about stuff, Aratak noticed that the sun was going to set soon. But thanks to there being buildings instead of trees, she couldn't see the sun disappear fully over the horizon now. It would normally be the time for her Tribemates to return to the village if they were away hunting and the such. Also, she wanted to go back to Air Temple Island and see if her wolf was doing okay on the island with the Air Acolytes.

"Can we go back to your island?" she asked. "I want to see how the wolves are doing."

Ataki agreed with her older sister, "I want to go back there too. This walking around is making me tired."

Aang gave both of them a smile. "Sure. We gotta help Zuko check over the city, but it won't take too long. Can we take you back and then go on?"

The chieftain nodded. "Yes please. And thanks."

"I want to stick around...if that's okay with you," Ziron said. "That monorail station sounds pretty interesting. That, and I want to see Dad again."

"Okay then," Aang said just as Zuko added, "I'll write a letter to General Izan and tell him that you're here in the city. He's been a lot better since he returned from that island, and he'll be glad to see you again."

So Aang pulled out the bison whistle he had been saving, took a deep breath, and blew hard on it. A few minutes later, Appa had arrived, announcing his arrival with a deep bellowing roar that shook the trees around them. Aang easily leapt onto his bison's head while Aratak and Ataki followed him and settled down into the saddle behind him. Hearing the words "Yip yip", Appa lifted up into the air and headed off towards the island.

**...**

"Balto! Brutus! We're home!"

As Aang, Katara, and the islanders came back through the front door, Aratak heard the sound of paws drumming the wooden floor as the wolves made their way over to them. Both wolves (father and son together) leapt onto Aratak and started licking her all over. She already knew that Aang had left a few Air Acolytes in charge of keeping watch over the house while they were gone and even paid them...though they would often refuse to be paid.

"So everything went fine while we were gone?" the Avatar asked a male acolyte.

The young man nodded. "Yes sir. We've never had wolves here at Air Temple Island before, but they actually behaved like dogs."

Aang replied, "That's because wolves are the ancestors of dogs that are either pets or strays. And what did I tell you about you calling me 'sir', Zhan?" he added with a grin. "Just call me either Aang or even Master Aang."

"Sorry, sir...I mean, Aang," Zhan said with a small chuckle. "Anything else I can do?"

"No, you've helped enough," the Avatar said politely. "Thanks for keeping the place in order while we were out."

Zhan nodded with a bow before heading off.

Once he was away, Aang turned to Aratak, saying, "I'm sorry we all can't spend any more time together today. Avatar duties call, you know."

"It's fine," Aratak replied as she looked away, not bothered by him being busy. "I just wish we can spend some more time together while we're here in the city."

"There IS a way." Aratak turned around to look at the Avatar when he said this. "You said you learned basic AirBending all by yourself, right? What if I gave you a class of AirBending? You know, teach you a few moves and other stuff? You'll love it."

That DID sound interesting for the young hermaphrodite very much. She could learn a lot more about AirBending, and she could show any young AirBenders in the tribe about the moves Aang taught her.

So she nodded. "I am honored to be your new AirBending pupil. And thank you," she added softly, standing on tiptoe and giving Aang a quick kiss on the lips.

Aang smiled back down at her. "No problem. I expect you to be up and early so we can get down to business."

"Yes...Master Aang."

_**To be continued...**_

**...**

**AvatarCat13: There we go. This chapter is done. And apparently, I had gotten one fact wrong: how to tell what gender your baby will be if you're pregnant. This is the revised and correct form: if your belly is hanging low, it'll be a boy; if high, then it'll be a girl. And the wolf scene you saw with Balto defending Katara is from Call Of The Wild, which I do NOT own; Jack London does.**

**REALLY great news, everyone...but I think you'll already know by now. The Legend Of Korra Book 2 is premiering in two more months! And so much has been revealed in the first episode at that Comic Con at San Diego...where I don't live. I won't say too much, but one thing I'm excited about this is...EVERYTHING! Even Wan Shi Tong!**

**Read and review, everyone! Since today has been five years since the end of Avatar: The Last AirBender, if you review, you will receive a virtual statuette of your favorite character from Avatar: The Last AirBender or The Legend Of Korra. That, and you'll also get a virtual pizza and drink of your choice. No flames are allowed, but I DO welcome advice, questions of any kind, and constructive criticism as long as it's not harsh.**

**See ya next time! And Happy Avatar Day!**


	5. The Art Of AirBending

**AvatarCat13: Hey there, everyone, and welcome to the newest chapter for Aratak's Journey! So far, Aratak will be learning AirBending, and she'll meet the other pupils in AirBending class. They won't be too important, unfortunately.**

**Sorry I didn't upload this story yet. I was getting through with the Nightfang story, and it's six chapters away from being completed. We're near the part when Nightfang and Oakheart encounter...a rather unfortunate event. Pardon the pun. But anyways, this chapter here will be about Aratak learning to AirBend, of course, not about cats.**

**So now that this is done, let's get to the story.**

**Disclaimer: Like I said before, I don't own Avatar: The Last AirBender, and I won't make money from this story. I DO, however, own Aratak and Shun, but Ataki and Shun belong to Crazy Cowgirl Cassie and Jade's One Of A Kind respectively.**

**Uploading Date: July 28, 2013**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**The Arts Of AirBending**_

Just as Aang had instructed her, Aratak had woken up early in the morning by having Brutus sleep in her room that night. She had taken her shower and noticed a pair of AirBending trainee clothing, the same she had seen on an old picture that washed onto the island. She guessed these clothes were important for AirBending training, so she put them on; they felt even better than the antelope pelt she had worn for two days straight. Once she was finished observing herself in the mirror, she gave her reflection a smile and headed downstairs.

_We'll be eating in the dining hall with the other Air Acolytes tomorrow morning, _Aang had told her before she went to bed that night. _That way, you'll get to know the other pupils well._

Aratak nodded a bit to herself, knowing where to go now thanks to the tour. But first, she had to get the wolves fed, and it was good luck that Katara still followed her tribe's diet. So she picked out some fish, greeted Balto and Brutus on her way to the dining hall, and handed them the fish. The wolves were already eating, and Aratak finally made her way to her destination.

In the dining hall, the islanders were already up. Ziron and Ataki were sitting near the fireplace at one end of the room and talking with other Air Acolytes. Shun was sitting with a group of children and telling them stories of the island, making them gape at her in awe. Aang and Katara were also up; the former was gently massaging the latter's feet under the table. Aratak guessed this was possibly due to the pregnancy. Plus, she was also wearing the orange and yellow Air Nomad clothing instead of her usual Water Tribe robes.

"Morning, guys," she greeted them. "And guess what? Aang's going to-"

"Teach you AirBending. We know," Katara finished for her, her voice often broken by sighs as her feet were rubbed. "Aang told us. I'm really happy to see you become Aang's newest pupil."

Aratak smiled and nodded back in gratitude, and she wanted to kiss them. But she knew that kissing the Avatar and his wife in front of the Air Acolytes would raise a LOT of questions. So she asked, "How many are there in this class?"

"Nine," Aang replied. "And once you join us in training, it'll make ten. Plus, anyone can come over and watch us in the class anytime they'd like." He was looking at Katara as he said this.

Said WaterBender replied, "Actually, Sokka was going to take me out for shopping around the city. He'll be arriving in the zeppelin he helped the Mechanist build."

"Zeppelin?" Aratak asked. "What's a zeppelin? And who's the Mechanist?"

Aang stopped massaging his wife's feet and explained, "It's a bit complex to tell you, but it's a giant airship used for either battle or transport. An ally of ours taught Sokka how to make them...and that's who the Mechanist is."

Aratak had no idea what all that was about, but she let it slide. Instead, she asked, "So where does this class take place at?"

"Outside in the practice field," Aang told her. "And it looks like it's time for the lessons of the day to begin. Let's go, AirBending pupil!" he added with a crafty smile as he got up. He noticed her wearing the AirBending clothes and remarked, "I see you've got your training clothes on today. That's great!"

"Thanks," Aratak said with a smile, blushing at what he said. Turning to her Tribemates, she asked, "Does anyone want to come see us train?"

"I will," Shun said right away, standing up. "Just in case if there's an injury during training."

Katara pulled a tray of food over to her as she replied, "There's not much injuries happening during the training, but I think it's better safe than sorry. And I usually treat any injuries on the island, but since I'll be away for a bit, I really appreciate you taking over for a bit."

Shun bowed to the heavily pregnant WaterBender. "No problem."

"And Ataki and I are planning on exploring the island," Ziron spoke up. "It'll be two more days until Dad comes over to Republic City. Besides, we can bring the wolves out for a walk."

Aratak gave him a thankful nod and followed Aang outside, noticing Shun getting up and going after them. Once they went out the door after Aang, the two women blushed as they brushed up against each other, tension between them. This gesture made Aratak want to cling to her right away and kiss her...but she berated herself for thinking of this. She didn't really have special feelings for Shun...or did she?

But none of that mattered for now. She was going to finally learn true AirBending!

**...**

"Good morning, class!" Aang greeted them, strolling over to the steps of the lower practice field.

"Good morning, Master Aang!" the class chirped back.

The class had gathered before the spinning panels, which Aang had said had been brought over from the Northern Air Temple to preserve it. He even said that it was a two thousand-year-old historical treasure and should be treated as such. But Aratak was too excited to think about it; she would be learning from Aang, the Avatar himself and one of her two mates.

Aang looked around the pupils with a small nod. "Well...what I see here in front of me are promising students willing to learn. It makes me smile to pass on all I know of AirBending to you, so I'll have to teach you the best I can." He paused and started pacing around the standing students, going on, "I bet that when you came here, your parents said you have talent. So I'm here to bring out your inner dragon...or bison in this case," he added with a chuckle.

This little joke made almost everyone laugh at this, even Aratak. Inside, she was amazed at how calm and friendly Aang was with his class; she had been afraid that he would be too calm at his best but strict at his worst. So there was little wonder on how his lessons were really useful.

"Now come forth so I can check to see if you're all here," Aang ordered. "All in a line."

So they came forth and stood as still as they could, Aratak standing between a thin young man and a rather pudgy young woman. Aang looked around them and said, "I forgot...we have a new student with us today; she's standing between Sam Qingshan and Chiong. Her name is Aratak, and she arrived here from a faraway island. We'll let her introduce herself, and be on your best behavior when greeting her." To Aratak, he said, "Come on up here."

Heart pounding, Aratak stepped out of the crowd, aware of several pairs of eyes watching her. She stood beside the Avatar and cleared her throat as she got ready to introduce herself. But when she was getting nervous, she noticed Shun standing to the side with a small encouraging smile on her face. Just seeing her smile made her heart beat faster as she finally began to speak.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Aratak..." she started.

A student raised her hand and, when allowed to speak, said, "Her name sounds a bit like Master Katara's name. Is it a coincidence?"

Aratak shrugged. "I have no idea. My parents named me this. But anyways, I am the chieftain of the Amaroo tribe on our island, and my sister, our friends, and I are visiting Republic City to see what the civilized world is like."

"You've never been outside the island?" the skinny young man named Sam asked.

"Nope...not once, but we're learning."

Then Aang gestured towards Shun to the side and said, "And the woman standing to the side is Shun, the Amaroo tribe's healer and a close friend of Aratak's. She's here to heal any injuries that may occur during lessons. I know you're thinking that there are not much injuries in my class," he added, seeing the doubt on their faces. "But it's better safe than sorry."

What he said made their doubt apparently fade away, for they turned to each other and mumbled something before nodding. Aratak had known better than to doubt Shun, though; she was a very skilled healer

"Now that this is out of the way, let's begin the lesson," Aang announced, calling everyone together. "Today's lesson will be about AirBending. I know you've already had a lesson about it, but Aratak is an AirBender and wants to learn more of it."

"A new AirBender?!"

The class was filled with amazement. There were people saying either "This is amazing! Now there's more AirBenders to come!" or "So Master Aang isn't the last AirBender anymore?" and even "And have you seen Master Katara lately? Great spirits, she's so _huge_! It won't be long before that kid of hers is born." It made Aratak feel slightly embarrassed about what Aang had said, but she was happy to hear that they supported the main couple on the island.

The Avatar chuckled and called, "Okay, everyone! Settle down! Now...who can tell me what air is? Physically and symbolically."

One young man raised his hand, and Aang pointed to him. He said, "Air is what we breathe, and it's a symbol for freedom. Right?"

"Correct. Now...which kinds of people had used this philosophy for countless generations?"

A young woman raised her hands this time and said, "The Air Nomads. They lived in all the Air Temples in the world until the start of the war."

Aang nodded, a hint of sadness on his face. "Yep...that's right. So anyways..." He looked a bit happy again as he went on, "I'll show you the first steps in creating an Air Scooter. I know this is very exciting, so don't be frustrated if you don't get it right the first time. Now...take a deep breath and feel the air around your hands."

When he finished, he waved his arms around a bit until air started to furl around him. The other students imitated him, but no air surrounded them yet; Aratak guessed they were starting to learn this today. She did the same thing, and just like the others, she couldn't get any wind around her. She tried again, and there was a little bit of wind this time, but she guessed that it was just a gale of wind blowing over Air Temple Island.

However, another young man (a brown-haired man with green eyes) sneered, "Hey, that's good all right...but put your arms down. Your stink will stain the island, weirdo!"

"Yeah!" two girls sneered while laughing at her.

At this, Aratak put her arms down and blushed from embarrassment. It looked like not everyone was willing to accept her and her friends being on the island, but the laughter hurt. It was like when the bullies on the island made fun of her for being a hermaphrodite all over again.

Aang glared at them sternly. "Genba, that was very disrespectful. You and your posse _will_ come see me after class for your actions. Aratak is our guest, and you should never EVER disrespect a guest." Looking over at a dejected Aratak, he said, "Come with me away from the others. I want to talk with you about something."

Aratak did not know what he wanted to talk to her about, but she wiped the few tears away from her face. So she followed him over to the meditating pavilion...where she was suddenly and very gently pushed to the doorway. Just before she could ask what was going on, she looked up at Aang, who leaned down and gently met her lips with his. Aratak closed her eyes and let him go on with it, letting his tongue wriggle with hers and feeling a certain organ pushing against the inside of her robes. When they split apart, she looked into his calm gray eyes and blushed.

"Are you okay?" Aang asked, his hands still pinning her wrists to the wood.

"Y-Yes," Aratak panted, slipping a hand out of his grasp and caressing his cheek. "What was all that for?"

Aang blushed. "I just wanted to cheer you up. Don't let those three get to you."

Aratak sighed. "You're right. It's just...not everyone wants us to be in Republic City. Did you tell anyone that I'm...intersexual? Like you said, I don't think anyone would want to talk with a woman with a penis."

"I didn't tell them yet," the Avatar said. "I think that's something you gotta tell them yourself. But don't you worry. I'll have a talk with Genba and his posse; they said they wanted to learn AirBending, but all they've done is mess around, talk during class, and tease others at their worst. Yet I can't just send them away; I'd have to talk to their parents first. So for now, we'll have to put up with them and perhaps change their ways."

"I understand. And...thanks for helping us," Aratak added with a blush. She gave his cheek a gentle lick and said, "We should get back."

Aang briefly slapped himself in the forehead and said, "You're right; I shouldn't show any special treatment while in class. Let's go."

So they backed away from the meditating pavilion and headed back to the class. The other pupils were glaring after Genba and his posse for their disrespect, but they were already walking off. As soon as Aratak came back with Aang, the pupils rushed forward to crowd around them.

"Are you okay?" the slightly plump girl asked. "I hope Genba didn't hurt you in any way."

"I'm fine," Aratak replied. "So...let's get back to class."

"That's the spirit!" Aang's voice made everyone look around. "Before we were interrupted, I was showing you how to make an air ball. So how about we continue the lesson? First, wave your arms around you." He began demonstrating it again and continued, "Feel the chi and air around you until you feel a small gust of air. And while you're getting it, follow me."

Aratak continued what she was doing before she was interrupted, noticing how the others were following Aang while doing what he did. They walked across the meditation yard, which had the yin-yang symbol in the center, and up the stairs out of the area. For some reason, Genba and his group did not appear after embarrassing their newest fellow apprentice, but Aratak didn't feel bothered anymore. She would get to still train with Aang and his other pupils.

They had arrived at their destination: a small training area located on the upper portion of the island surrounded by a dense mambo garden. In the center was a group of ancient-looking wooden panels that looked like it dated back to centuries ago. Aratak was amazed to see how old it was, and the pupils also looked amazed.

"What is that?" Sam asked.

Aang smiled. "I'm glad you asked that. That, my pupils, is what Air Nomads in my time have used for training. The mechanism is on top of a raised circular platform and used to teach AirBending pupils of the art's vital principles. The gates are initiated by a gust of air, and pupils maneuver their way through the gates by employing circular movements. Let me show you."

With a clap from his hands, he sent a large gust of air towards the panels, which now began spinning around. Due to the amount of wind put into it, they were spinning so far that it made Aratak's green eyes dizzy from it. Aang smiled at his accomplishment, gently plucked a leaf from a bamboo stick, and let it go so that it flowed through the panels. It was gently swirling around, evading the obstacles until it gently floated to the other side.

"The solution is to be like the leaf. Flow with the movement of the gates," Aang explained to the class. "AirBending is all about spiral movements. When you meet resistance, you must be able to switch direction at a momentous notice. Now...who wants to have a go at this?"

"I will!" the slightly plump girl named Chiong piped up, running towards the panels.

When she went in there, Aang called, "Be careful in there, Chiong! Without flowing like a leaf-"

In a matter of seconds, Chiong was tossed out of the panels, which hit her from all sides and cast her out of there.

"...this will happen," Aang finished with an uneasy chuckle. "Anyone else want to try?"

"I'll try it," a younger boy with tan skin, black hair, and amber eyes spoke up. He looked like he was a mix of Water Tribe and Fire Nation.

Aang nodded. "Then go right ahead, Chinook. And be careful!"

So Chinook ran in and tried to weave around. Unlike Chiong, Aratak noticed, this guy didn't just rush in; instead, he tried swerving around gracefully. But sadly, he messed up halfway and was thrown out of the panels, looking down. Aratak walked over and laid a hand on his shoulder, making him look up.

"Hey, you did great," she assured him, holding a hand out for him to get up. "You gave it your best shot, and you went out of there in a blaze for glory."

"Thanks," Chinook replied, accepting her hand and getting up.

While Shun hurried forward to check for any wounds, Aang spoke up, "She's right, Chinook. You did really well. And Aratak?" He turned to her as he spoke. "Would you like to try?"

Aratak nodded. "Yes, Master Aang," she said with a smile.

She stepped up to the spinning panel and gulped. They were spinning so fast that she could barely keep her eyes off of them. How in the world did Aang think this was going to be easy? But she took a deep breath, steeled her courage, and headed inside.

Once she made it inside, she began twirling around with the movements of the panels, avoiding them. Her heart raced hard; this must have been what it felt like when Aang trained in this for the first time. Her mind clearer, Aratak continued flowing along the panels like a leaf in the wind. The other students were watching in awe, and Aang was watching her with helpful pride on his face, so this made Aratak more determined to get out of this alive. If she could make it through, then the others could too.

But as she made her way almost to the end, she noticed Shun watching her and stopped...but that was apparently a pretty bad idea. A panel hit her right in the behind, propelling her into another spinning panel and groaning from the force of the impact. The students, Shun, and Aang winced at this, and the young chieftain was tossed out to the start of the maze, panting and gasping from what she just had to endure.

"Aratak!" Shun ran over to her side and threw her into a hug. "Are you okay?"

Aratak rubbed her sore behind and sides. "Yeah...but those really hurt! Why didn't anyone say anything about that?"

Just then, Genba's sneering voice called, "I thought our master taught you that, outsider! I think your stink made you fail!"

"Enough," Aang told them with a stern glare. To the class, he said, "I think that's enough for one day. Aratak, you can come with me. Genba, you and your posse come see me, and we'll talk. And as for the rest of you, continue your day."

They nodded and headed off.

**...**

"So how was your first day of AirBending class?" Aang asked. He had just gotten back from scolding Genba and his posse and said that if they continued their bad acts, then they would have to go back home.

"That class was amazing...but Aang, you never said anything about those panels hurting!" Aratak whined. "I think I might be sore for a few days."

Aang gave her a reassuring smile. "Well, as an Air Nomad, you have to expect the unexpected. So anyways, you wanna go into the city for a bit? We might see Katara and Sokka there."

Aratak nodded, knowing that the Water Tribe siblings had gone to the city for a bit. Perhaps hanging out with the Avatar's wife and her brother could take her mind off the bullying. So she looked back at the Avatar and nodded.

"Good. Now let me know when you're ready," Aang said. "We can take either Appa or Imami to the city. I gotta go get prepared too...these master robes are kinda itchy."

This made Aratak giggle as he gave her cheek a quick kiss and headed off. She headed outside, comfortable in her new Air Nomad training robes, and watched the sun rise at the highest peak it could get to. It was another peaceful morning (soon to be afternoon) on Air Temple Island, and Aratak already felt right at home here. Of course she couldn't be a nudist as she had been her entire life, but this was a nice place too.

_But what about _your _island? _a small voice in her head asked._ That's your home. What are you going to choose: your island, where you have free reign, or society, where you follow rules you don't want to follow._

But Aratak knew better than that. She had come to civilization to visit the Avatar and his wife, two people she loved, and she was now going to the city again.

_**To be continued...**_

**...**

**AvatarCat13: Well, there you go. Aratak's learning AirBending, but it's a challenge for her. And I've decided to give her a rival or two who don't like her; plus, Genba is also the name of one of the Great Danes from Ginga Densetsu Weed.**

**I'm sorry I haven't updated this story in a while; I was just doing some thinking. But still, I've been thinking of what they're going to do when they get to Republic City. Will this be a chapter when Sokka finds out about the love between Aang, Katara, and Aratak? Only time will tell, but I'll have to leave you guys guessing for now. That, and I'm still working on Nightfang Potter and WaterBender's Giant Adventure.**

**So read and review! I think I've run out of rewards to hand out, so please read and review! I do NOT allow any flames or they will be extinguished with either WaterBending or EarthBending. But I DO welcome advice, questions of any kind, and constructive criticism as long as it's not harsh.**

**See ya next time!**


	6. Back To The City

**AvatarCat13: Hey there, everyone, and welcome to the newest chapter of Kataang Island Adventure 2! Sorry I haven't uploaded this before until now; I was away thinking of what will happen during this here chapter. I've had some help, and I managed to work the rest out, so it's all cool now.**

**I've had some help from people like Jade and TheLucky38 with what can come up in this chapter. But I won't tell you yet in what it's about. Why? Because you're gonna find out later on in this chapter. And I bet you're wondering when the next lemon chapter will come around, and I say...soon. SOON!**

**And one more thing: I also decided to add a little something different for Aratak...that, and I might include a chapter for the wolves. Hope you all like it. So now that we're done with that, let's get on with this story.**

**Disclaimer: Just remember. I do NOT own this series or its characters; they belong to Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. I DO, however, own Aratak and Shun, but Ataki and Ziron (and his dad) belong to Cassie and Jade.**

**Uploading Date: August 5, 2013**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**Back To The City**_

"Now remember, class," Aang said after he gathered the class together for last-minute words. He was all dressed up in his travelling Air Nomad clothes, "The city shouldn't see Aratak as an AirBender yet. It's not that I want her to be sheltered for the rest of the trip. I just don't want her being uncomfortable about people asking her tons of questions. So I must ask you to not say anything about it to other people."

They all nodded.

So Aang nodded back. "Good. Now enjoy the rest of your day. Until tomorrow, everyone, may the air lift your spirits."

"Until next time," the students echoed before splitting off in different directions.

Aratak was looking around as them when she felt a hand close around hers and pull her gently away. She was wondering what he was going to do, but she did not protest as he led her over to the meditating pavilion again. But her doubt was away when she felt a certain tongue lick at her cheek before heading over to her mouth, making her purr. She closed her eyes and enjoyed it as their lips and tongues met again.

However...she felt bad at doing this. Aang and Katara were already married, and now they were taking turns kissing her. Still, Aratak trusted them and loved them, so she wrapped her arms around him as they fell to the ground, wrapped in each other's grasps. In fact, they were so into their kissing that they almost ran out of breath, thus they broke apart.

"Aang..." Aratak panted. "...as much as I enjoy being mates with you and Katara, I don't think you should kiss me this much...I don't want you two to split up because of me."

Aang gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Aratak. We have a lot of faith in you." As he got up, he added sheepishly, "I hope no one saw us."

So Aratak got up, dusted the dust off her new clothes, and looked around. No one had seen them except for the lemurs and wolves, the former in the trees and eating fruit and the latter prowling. "No, no human saw us. And how about we go check up on Katara at the city? She said Sokka was taking her out shopping."

"That sounds like a great idea," Aang replied, dusting his robes off too. "Who should we take with us, Appa or Imami?"

"Whichever is fine."

Thus, Aang took a silver coin out from his pocket and showed it to her; one side showed his face, and the other side showed a big building. He said, "Just ignore the designs...well, actually, here's what I'm going to do. I'll flip this coin, and whichever side it lands on, we'll take either Appa (who's heads) or Imami (who's tails). Which side do you want: heads or tails?"

Aratak smiled at this little game. "Tails, definitely."

The Avatar tossed the coin into the air and watched as it fell to the ground, spinning on its smooth edges. It then stood as still as a stone, making Aratak wonder if that meant they could take both bison this time. But Aang gave her a sly grin and flicked his hand towards the coin, causing a gust of air to appear and fall until the heads side was showing.

"Hey, no fair!" Aratak scolded him playfully. "It's either heads or tails!"

"Don't hate the player; hate the game!" Aang retorted with a laugh. "But seriously, it was a cheap move, wasn't it? We'll take both bison if that's fine."

Aratak shrugged. "Sure. But what about the others?"

Aang replied, "They're free to come along if they want. Be sure to ask them first."

The chieftain nodded and ran over towards the temple, where Shun and Ziron were being toured by one of the female Air Acolytes. She had to marvel at the ancient Air Nomad artifacts that had been brought over from all the other air temples in the world. Aratak was so busy looking at a rather beautiful painting that she bumped into a person without looking and stumbled back.

"Sorry..." she began to muttered. But she stopped when she was looking into Shun's eyes...her warm gorgeous brown eyes.

"It's fine," Shun said with an awkward smile. "So what'd you want to talk about?"

Aratak said, "Aang wanted to see how Katara and Sokka are doing in the city on their 'shopping' trip. You wanna come along? Ziron and Ataki can come along."

Shun scratched the back of her head with her hand. "I guess I can...let me ask Ziron-"

"Much as I'd like to, I can't right now," Ziron added, looking over at them and having heard them. "Ataki's going to join the other pregnant acolytes in their classes; Katara signed her up for those during breakfast. Plus, she forced me to come along," he added with a playful grin.

"Well, good luck," Aratak replied with a smile. "She's going to need your help during this time."

She expected him to say something about Nanuk, but he merely nodded. Aratak still felt sad about Nanuk's death, yet she was happy to be with Aang and Katara. In fact, it had been the first time in a long time that someone ever had two mates while alive. Still, another day in the city would be fun, exploring and learning more about human civilization.

**...**

"So then what happened once you got to the village?"

During their shopping, the Water Tribe siblings had stopped at a tea shop and ordered some lunch there. Katara had chosen to tell Sokka more about how she and Aang had come across Aratak's tribe, and he was a good listener. Thanks to him learning about them having sex, there was no point in hiding it...though she kept the details out. And she kept the relation between her and Aang and Aratak a secret since she didn't want her brother to freak out.

"Well..." Katara had taken a bite out of the mix of fish, cabbage, and noodles she deliberately mixed together. "We were asked to come over and help Shun's sister have her baby. And NO, I'm not going into details in public," she added as she saw his revolted look. "And I know how nauseous you get around childbirth. Remember what happened back at the Serpent's Pass nearly six years ago?"

Sokka nodded. "Yeah. So what else happened?"

Katara continued, "Once that was done, Aratak invited us to stay with the tribe for a while...but we had to fight two of the villagers first. They were a FireBender and WaterBender duo, but we kept up with their moves." She took another bite of the mixed food and added with a slight smile, "Hey, this tastes really good. This is one of the best cravings I've had in a while. I wonder if I can mix this with stewed sea prunes?"

"You know..." Sokka said with a sly grin on his face. "If you keep eating like this, the baby fat won't be the only thing to worry about."

This caused Katara to give her brother a death glare and form a snowball under the table with WaterBending. She threw it a bit towards his private area and smirked at his yelp, saying, "Now that doesn't feel good, now does it?"

Sokka was holding that area with a pained face and gasping, "Wha...what was that for?!"

"I'm not getting fat...yet," Katara told him as he calmed down. "Your nephew or niece was getting hungry. So anyways, Aang and I defeated them, and Aratak welcomed us into the tribe. The next day, we were invited for hunting patrols like Dad would usually lead back at home. And that's when we actually got to see Sharpclaw."

"You mean that raptor you brought to the mainland?" her brother asked. "What'd he do?"

Katara continued, "He met Aang first, but Aang only got away with a sore back since he got struck by his tail As for me...I don't know if you've seen this properly, but..." She lifted a hand and gently pulled down the sleeve on her shoulder, revealing the scar she got from Sharpclaw. It reached from the top of her shoulder to above her armpit, making it look quite the wound.

Sokka looked shocked. "He clawed you? That beast clawed you?"

"Well, I was actually in his territory," Katara reasoned, pulling the sleeve back up. "And you remember what happens if you stray into a...polar leopard's territory, right?"

"Yeah," Sokka said with wistfulness. "You noticed the pelt on the wall in Dad's tent? Well, that was the same one I came across when we were kids. Dad had to pull me practically away from its claws and hold me while he thrashed it."

It felt good talking with her brother about being on the island now...especially since he found out that she was pregnant. But on the day he found out, he was furious at Aang for "breaking his promise" and nearly strangled him to death. Katara had gotten angry at Sokka for that and almost broke off their sibling relationship if he strangled her husband one more time, making him be remorseful. So Sokka had apologized to Aang and sincerely admitted that he really was happy to be an uncle for the first time.

_And I hope nothing bad like that happens ever again, _Katara thought. Looking down at the stuff she bought for the baby like toys and stuff, she added mentally, _But I do hope for this baby to have siblings sometime in the future._

Just then, she heard the familiar groan of a bison...make that TWO bison. She looked out the window and noticed Appa and Aratak's bison, Imami, land outside the restaurant, Aang on Appa and Aratak on Imami. Katara guessed they wanted to come and see how she was doing...that, and she guessed they wanted to eat out as well. She watched on as Aang paid the waiter outside and Aratak looked between them in confusion, apparently asking him something.

"Hey guys!" she called, waving to them once they got inside. "Come over here!"

"Great to see you two here!" Sokka added, shaking Aang's hand as they came near. "How'd the AirBending class go?"

Aang settled down in the chair at the table beside them, saying, "It went good. Aratak made some good friends already...but then Genba happened. He said her 'stink' was causing her to fail in the spinning panels exercise."

Sokka's eyes narrowed at the sound of the apprentice's name. Katara didn't like him either, for he had been rude to her in private, often saying that she was fat because of her pregnancy. But he would never insult her right in front of Aang...but how he called Aratak names in front of the Avatar himself, she would never know.

"Genba, huh?" Sokka remarked with a hint of a growl. "I don't like that guy. Why in the name of all things great and small did he want to be an Air Acolyte for?"

Aratak shrugged. "I don't know...but his words hurt. I hadn't seen any bullies like that ever since I was a kid. Still, it's a good thing they don't know that I'm a hermaphrodite. They'd think it's weird to talk with a woman with a...I'd say it, but we're out in public."

"And I taught her that," Aang added with a proud grin. Then to Aratak, he said, "I don't see Shun around here. Where'd she go?"

"She said she already had lunch, so she was going to take a walk," Aratak replied. "Now come behind this menu. There's something I gotta show you."

And by the sound of her voice, Katara knew what she was going to do. Even though she would normally be upset by seeing Aang with another woman, Aratak was special. As long as Aang did not go after another woman...along with being with her and Aratak...then it was fine with her.

But when Katara noticed that Aang and Aratak were going to start kissing, she felt a bit afraid now. What would Sokka say if she saw her husband and the Amaroo tribe chieftain kissing? She was sure that he would tear Aang apart in seconds if he ever saw that happen, and she didn't want for that to happen again.

Noticing Sokka turn his head to talk with Aang, Katara quickly asked, "So what've you and Dad been up to lately?"

"Quite a bit, actually," Sokka said, turning around to her relief. "We've made visits to the Northern Tribe and making some negotiations with Chief Arnook."

"That's good," Katara replied with a nod. She looked over to see them still kissing behind the menu, so she went on, "And how do you feel about you and Suki getting married soon? It's about time you two did."

Sokka awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, we're getting there. We just gotta finish the stuff first, and then we'll worry about the wedding. It's gonna be good sailing from there."

Katara murmured "Yeah" before looking around. To her relief, Aang and Aratak broke off their kiss and were now ordering their lunch. It took nearly a few minutes for something interesting to pop up, yet she was surprised when it did. Despite having lived in the wild all her like, the chief of the Amaroo tribe was really civil in public, amazing the Water Tribe siblings.

Just then, Aratak clutched at the area around her chest, groaning, "Ow...it hurts..."

"Oh spirits, Aratak!" Katara gasped, getting up awkwardly and waddling over to the island chief. "Are you okay? Are you having a heart attack?"

Aratak's face became less pained as she looked up at her. "No...it's more in my breasts."

Katara could tell where this was going to. "I think I know what that means: you're lactating." Seeing her stunned look, she smiled and lowered her voice more to whisper, "Come on, you know what that means. It means you're producing milk."

"I-I know what that means!" Aratak retorted quietly. "It's just...I've never been one to have my body become like this. But how can I be sure that I'm lactating?"

"Come outside. I'd like to do something."

So she excused herself and Aratak as they got up and headed towards the back door. They made it to the back alley, where Katara herded Aratak into a corner and laid her hands on her lean shoulders. The other woman stared at her as if she was confused about what she was doing.

"Bring your shirt down," Katara instructed her. When Aratak looked uncertain, she added, "No one's looking, so it's fine."

Thus, Aratak did as she was told, and Katara felt herself blush hard. Her breasts, which were usually medium-sized, were now getting a bit bigger, and her nipples now looked puffy and swollen...not to mention that they were erect. Despite blushing at seeing this, she saw the signs right away: she really WAS lactating.

So with a gesture for her to close her eyes, she stepped closer until her swollen belly pressed against the other woman, making a small purring noise as she smiled up at her. Then she made her move as she leaned down a bit and gently took a hold of her left nipple with her teeth, gently teasing and sucking. This could be what it felt like to suck on another woman's breasts, and it wasn't a bad feeling. And with a bit more sucking and teasing, she finally got the milk to start flowing out, even gulping some down in the process.

"K-Katara?" Aratak was rasping, mild lust in her tone as she smoothed a hand through her hair. "Wh-What're you doing? It feels...so good..."

Just then, her eyes opened when the pregnant master WaterBender let go and squeezed her breast lightly until some milk came spraying out. Some of it even got onto her face, but she didn't mind at all; it was like one thing she and Aang did together in their "alone time". Aratak was looking down at her breasts with an amazed look on her face.

"So it IS true...I AM lactating!" she was saying. She reached out to wipe the milk off of Katara's face and went on, "I never knew I'd do it one day...but...I never even knew a hermaphrodite woman could do it. Doesn't a woman usually lactate while they're pregnant?"

Katara shook her head. "No, not always. Look at me eight months ago: I wasn't completely pregnant, but I was already lactating. It's nothing to be ashamed of." Looking back towards the restaurant, she added, "We better get back inside."

So Aratak pulled her shirt back up, and Katara got herself cleaned up too with WaterBending; the excitement of what she did had caused her undergarments to get soaked. Once she was done, the two women went back into the restaurant, where the dishes Aang and Aratak ordered had arrived, Aang having ordered assorted vegetables and Aratak having ordered whole fruit. Katara supposed that since her friend had trouble with the chopsticks the other day, she would eat something she could grab.

It was fine, but Aratak still had all the time in the world to learn more about Republic City.

**...**

Once they were finished with their lunch, they headed out towards the plaza, where Katara told Aang and Aratak over what she and Sokka had bought. Aratak had never heard of any of this stuff before due to living on the island all of her life. It was hard to learn about it all, but at least she and her Tribemates had learned to read and write thanks to books washing up on the island. But about the stuff they bought for the baby, it was all strange.

So Aratak decided to take a walk around the city, observing what it was like on her own. This side of the city was okay...except that some people were looking at her in a snooty disdainful way, but some women in particular were glaring at her, and she wondered why. Yet as she went into an alleyway, she felt her breasts again and remembered what happened at the restaurant. It was astonishing that she, a hermaphrodite, was lactating like Katara was; in fact, she felt like trying it out some more once they got back to Air Temple Island.

All of a sudden, she heard a short yelp and the thudding of earth...and Aratak recognized the voice as Shun's voice. She could be in danger, and she blamed herself for leaving her healer all by herself. Thus, she headed further down the alley and heard another voice: a female voice, a bit gruff but soothing.

"It's fine, Shun. Just settle down. They're gone now."

Aratak knew that it was Toph Beifong, and she appeared to be trying to comfort her. She turned the corner and saw the master MetalBender laying a gentle hand on Shun's shoulder; the latter was panting hard, her face tense and some of her new robes torn. Empathy filled Aratak's heart, for she hated to see her old friend and healer be upset.

Noticing her there, Toph looked up and glared at her as she snapped, "What were you thinking, leaving her out here to get mobbed?!"

"I didn't know she'd get mobbed!" Aratak snapped back. "And I don't even know what mobbing is! So what happened?"

"First...mobbing means stealing someone else's stuff and attacking them," Toph replied with a sigh. "Or raping them. Second, sorry for going overboard. And third, Shun here was being attacked by two cloaked people, but I tied them up with my metal cables." At this, she patted the coil of metal that was wrapped around her belt. "Finally..."

Shun was finally calming down as she panted, "No, Toph...let me say it..." Her eyes were wide with tension as she exclaimed, "Those thugs said they've attacked the temple!"

Aratak's blood almost froze. "You mean at Air Temple Island?"

"Yes! And they tried attacking me so I wouldn't tell anyone!"

"So we need to warn Aang," Aratak decided.

Toph nodded. "Yep. And let me come with you. Aang really needs to know this."

The three women headed down the alley and out towards the buildings of the city. Some women, especially the rich snobbish ones, said something about "filthy strays", but Toph merely said "And what're YOU looking at?", making them flinch. But when they made it to the plaza where Aang, Katara, and Sokka were at, the three of them were gone, though Aratak could sense them because of having a good nose like a wolf's.

And there they were. The three of them were heading out of a story, talking about something. Toph called loudly to them, "Yo! We got bad news!"

"Toph?" Aang came over quickly to face his friend. "What's wrong?"

"Shun here got attacked by two thugs," Toph explained, pointing over at said woman. "She heard something about Air Temple Island being ravaged, but I want to see if it's true."

Aang's dark gray eyes were wide with shock at the bad news, Katara gave a small gasp, and Sokka's blue eyes narrowed with suspicion. Quickly, he said, "Thanks very much for telling me this. Now get prepared for whatever we find there. I'll summon the bison and get the others back to the island."

His blind EarthBending friend nodded and darted away towards her headquarters. Aang took out the familiar bison whistle and blew hard, causing the bison who were flying above them to fly back down. Aratak and Shun headed over to Imami and leapt on right away while Katara needed help from Aang and Sokka to get onto Appa's saddle. Five minutes later, Toph had come back with several men and women behind her, all dressed in their dark gray MetalBender armor as they climbed on board with the other three. This time, it was Toph who hollered "Yip yip!", and they took off.

Above the tall buildings and trees they soared, and Aratak got even more worried about what those thugs did on the island. What if they had set fire to the place and caused the animals to die? Her heart skipped a few beats when she noticed black smoke rising into the air like poison bile, but she noticed something odd about it. It appeared to be a thin trail of smoke, so there couldn't be a big fire. Still, she had seen raging wildfires before on her island, and recalling her tribe having had to go to the beach, she urged Imami to go faster.

Eventually, all of them made it back to the island, where the Air Acolytes were looking around in every place. Aratak wondered what had happened to make them

"What happened here?" Aang asked the head Acolyte, a tall dark-skinned man with brown eyes. "Shun told me there were thieves on the island. Why's everyone out here, Wakino?"

"That's what we've been doing, sir: looking for those thieves," the head Acolyte informed him. "They appeared to have arrived while we were out feeding the sky bison. When we got back, they were already gone, but they trashed the place. And the greenhouses were set on fire, but some WaterBenders in the city are putting them out. Plus...some possessions were destroyed by a stray fire that reached a part of the temple."

Aang's eyes narrowed with tension. "Like what?"

Wakino held up a blackened staff and sighed. "Your glider staff. It was destroyed."

"It's fine," Aang said calmly, reaching up to pull another staff down from Appa's saddle. "I always carry my staff around and leave a spare one behind just in case."

"Anything else that got burnt up?" Katara asked with concern, a hand on her stomach.

But at this, Wakino and the other Air Acolytes looked around at each other in shame and uneasiness. Seeing this, Katara asked a bit more sharply, "What is it?"

"That's...something you'll have to see for yourself," Chinook, one of the students, replied. "You better follow me; it's...best if you see it."

He led the way, the others following her towards the temple. Aratak wondered what he wanted them to see, but she guessed that it would be no good. They headed past the AirBending training field, up the stairs, past the spinning panels, up some more stairs, and (after checking on the wolves), headed into the house. There, they met a chaotic sight.

Inside, the living room was a complete wreck. Papers and scrolls were strewn everywhere like leaves, the furniture was turned over with gashes in their sides, and there were even scorch marks which looked like someone had set a fire there only to put it out instantly. Aratak had no idea who would raid her friends' place, but she could only look around the mess, shocked while the MetalBender cops came inside and inspected the area. She had never seen such a mess like this in her entire life; not even a daily hunt at her island home was this messy.

And on the floor among the wreckage was...

"My...my mom's necklace!" Katara's voice was cracking with shock. She hurried over to the burned necklace (which was now blackened and torn almost to shreds) and held it close to her, her shoulders shaking as she rasped, "I-I never should've left it here...why, spirits, why?! Why would someone destroy my mother's family treasure?! Why?!" Her voice was raised as she began sobbing loudly.

Aratak could not move, for she felt too much sympathy to move forth and lay a gentle hand on her shoulder. The islanders and the Air Acolytes were staring at the Water Tribe woman with sympathy, but they dared not move over to her. There appeared to be nothing they could do to comfort her. Only Aang came forward to lay a hand on her arm and kiss her cheek, but Katara's response was not what they expected.

"Get away from me!" she sobbed with a hiss, glaring at him with her tear-stained face. "Just...just leave me alone!"

Aang could nod and step away, and Aratak laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. The Avatar merely sighed and stalked away from the others and out of the room, looking over his shoulder at his wife in sorrow and sympathy. Seeing the peace made Aratak feel angry on the inside; whoever had done this to them...would pay dearly for what they had done.

_**To be continued...**_

**...**

**AvatarCat13: Wow...that was quite shocking, don't you think? The idea for the end of this chapter is created by TheLucky38, who's a really cool friend. So give thanks to this guy who always has a good idea in his corner! And what do you think should happen in the next chapter? ONE spoiler, however: the necklace won't be destroyed forever.**

**Good news and bad news time. The bad news (I want to get this over with first) is that my sister's dogs were given away...and we'll never see them again. The other bad news is that Reesey had a seizure for the second day in a row, and it might be because she needs to be fixed for it to stop. The GOOD news is that we rescued two baby squirrels last night when they fell out of a tree, and this morning, their mother came back for them. Isn't it great?**

**Read and review, folks! Anyone who does will get a virtual squirrel plush doll for those who like squirrels. I don't allow any flames or else they will be put out with WaterBending, but I welcome advice, questions of any kind, and constructive criticism as long as it's not harsh. And if you got any idea for the next chapter, I'm all ears.**

**See ya next time!**


	7. The Burnt Necklace

**AvatarCat13: Hey there, everyone, and welcome back to Aratak's Journey! I've gotten some pretty good reviews so far, and it's making me want to go on with this chapter! Besides some Facebook activity, let's go on to what happened recently.**

**On the last chapter, Air Temple Island has been raided! And what's more, Katara is very devastated about the loss of her necklace, and we'll see how more upset she gets. But don't worry; everything will work out fine. So please excuse me for giving out this little spoiler: the necklace won't be ruined forever.**

**Now that we're done with this, let's continue the story? This here chapter might be the longest chapter on this story yet...second, actually.  
**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Avatar: The Last AirBender, I'd be living in a mansion at Beverly Hills. The entire series belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. I DO, however, own Aratak and Shun...plus Genba and his little gang, but Ataki, Ziron, and Izan belong to Cassie and Jade.**

**Uploading Date: August 9, 2013**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**The Burnt Necklace**_

"Everyone please leave," Aang rasped in a hoarse tone to the other people. "We'll do whatever we can to try and cheer her up. Just go."

So the people started to file out of the room except for Aratak, who just stared at the couple with a torn heart. She knew she would never know what it was like to be robbed, for there was no thievery in her tribe; that, and her tribe was far away from. But now she knew the tragedy of it: it took away the security a person would feel about their own home. A person's home had become his own fortress, not a safe haven for people to live and coexist peacefully.

Aang was approaching Katara and laid his hand on her shoulder, asking, "Sweetheart? You gonna be okay?"

"Don't you dare touch me," Katara croaked, shrugging his hand away. "I don't want to be around you right now."

"What?" Aang asked in shock. "Why?"

Katara now glared at him, her face still tear-stained and her blue eyes reddened from the crying. "If you hadn't told me to wear that necklace you gave me, Mom's necklace would still be okay! It's your fault it's destroyed!"

Aang moved forward and laid his hand on her shoulder again. "Katara...I had no idea..."

"I said DON'T TOUCH ME!" his wife shrieked, pulling away and slapping him hard in the face. Aang stepped back, sadness written on his face as his wife looked away again. "I'm sorry, Aang but...I just hate you right now! If there is no way to get my necklace back to the way is was...then I'll have to renounce our marriage!"

Aratak realized that what she said was horrible, for Aang had recoiled with hurt on his face and in his gray eyes. That hurt her too, for seeing a friend hurt another friend (or in this case, a wife hurting her husband) was too much to bear. She realized she would be going too far off the deep end if something wasn't done soon.

"You don't really mean that," she said softly, stepping forth and laying a hand on her shoulder. "You're just angry and upset, that's all. Be reasonable."

But Katara snapped, "I AM reasonable! And I said DON'T TOUCH ME!" And as she said that, she reached around to slap her too.

This time, though, Aratak was ready and grabbed a hold of her arm, laying it down gently. Then she said in a soft voice, "You'll have to stop doing that; just think of the baby. I understand that you're upset, but you can't just turn your anger on the people who care about you. So please, Katara...let us help you."

She saw her bright blue eyes cloud over and close in pain as she turned away. Aratak felt that she should help, but a hand on her arm stopped her; she turned around and saw that it was Sokka who had taken a hold of her. The Water Tribe warrior was looking at his sister with concern, and she could feel the same sympathy he was feeling.

"Whatever..." Katara's voice was cracked with sorrow, anger, and fatigue. "Just leave me alone. I need to get away for a while..."

The Water Tribe woman awkwardly got to her feet due to the baby still growing in her womb and began staggering away. And as if that wasn't enough, she left her burnt necklace behind. Aratak couldn't bear the sadness that was going on in the house of the Avatar anymore...and seeing Aang upset made her want to cry. Plus, it looked like Katara needed to be comforted some more; she had heard of what depression could do to a person if it lingered for too long.

"You go outside for a walk, Aang," Aratak told the AirBender. "I'll go talk with Katara. She might need some women's talk."

Aang nodded blankly, his voice hoarse as he rasped, "Okay...thank you, Aratak. And everyone else," he addressed the others beside them. "Thanks for your help too, but..."

He couldn't finish, but he just gave a sad shake of his head. Aang backed away from the others, past the Air Acolytes and the MetalBenders and past Sokka to go outside. Sokka and Shun looked after him, shared a concerned look, and headed out the door to the outside.

Aratak watched them go, hurt to see Aang like this. She had thought that he was the confident, cheerful, and handsome Avatar she had come to know...but this new and depressed Avatar made her feel even more sorry for him. And as for Katara, she was no longer the kind and beautiful WaterBender she had been at the moment. She was now a broken-down shell of her former self whose only heirloom was cruelly destroyed. Inside, she cursed the person who had done this; he or she had tried breaking them apart.

Whoever had done this...they would wish they never attacked the Avatar and his wife.

**...**

Aang headed out of the house, his heart heavy and his spirits very low. Katara, his beloved wife, had threatened to divorce him because of the necklace and slapped him, but her words hurt more than the slap. But he couldn't blame her; he felt as if it really WAS his fault her necklace was destroyed. He knew that if he hadn't made her wear the necklace he gave her, the one her mother had given her would still be okay.

What was as bad as that was the thought of separating from her. They had been married for around four months, back when Katara saw that her belly was starting to grow due to her pregnancy. Aang had loved her for nearly six years, and she had loved him back...and all of that could crash to the ground now. He felt a little sick just thinking about it, but it took strength to swallow the bile that rose in his throat.

"Buddy, it's not your fault," Sokka said as he caught up with him. "You heard Aratak; Katara only said that in anger and pain."

Shun, who was nearby, hurried over and said, "He's right, Aang. She'll calm down soon."

"But it IS my fault!" Aang croaked, turning around to them. "Katara was right; I shouldn't have given her that necklace. Her mom's necklace should've been here instead of that one...maybe I'm not the right husband for her after all..."

Just then, Sokka turned him around and slapped him hard in the face, making him recoil. But Sokka's words were "Will you get a hold of yourself, Aang?! That's quitter talk, pal! Don't you ever say that; you had no idea this was all going to happen!" In a calmer voice, he said, "Look, I'm sorry I slapped you there, but you're being too hard on yourself."

"Yeah," Shun added. "You need any herbs for calming down? I know that Kava Kava roots and lavender can help you out."

Aang shook his head. "No thanks. I better go talk with Toph. She'll know what to do."

"Then let us come with you," Sokka said, laying a hand on his brother-in-law's shoulder. "You are NOT gonna go jumping off cliffs!"

"I know. The world still needs its Avatar."

With that said, he walked off towards the docks, where the ferries would often come to the island with passengers. That was also where Air Acolytes who couldn't ride a bison yet would take to go to the city. Plus, Toph said that she and her MetalBenders would patrol near the docks so that they could inspect anyone that came to the island. Perhaps she could have something to say about what was going on.

When he got to the docks, Toph was already talking with some of her officers, muttering in low words so that no one else could hear. But she broke off the talk when she saw Aang coming.

"Hey Aang," she said, not using his nickname at the moment. "We checked on the bison and the lemurs, and they're doing okay. The criminals didn't reach them. So...how's Katara doing?"

Aang shook his head. "Not good. And as you can see by that hand print, she made it clear that she's still mad at me...and I don't blame her."

"Okay, what did I just say, Mr. Avatar?" Sokka growled, stepping forth. "I keep telling you that it's not your fault, and you still keep doing it! Do I need to slap some more sense into your head a few more times?"

Toph got in between them. "No one's gonna be slapping _anyone_! Now listen up, you dopes!" She held up a black goggle mask and explained, "We noticed this just shortly after you, Aang, told us to leave you alone. We were patrolling around the waters and keeping an eye out for any other arsonists when Khan noticed something floating in the water. But of course, I'm blind, so I can't see what it looks like." To one of her officers, she said, "Khan, describe the object to me."

"Yes ma'am," the pale-skinned scar-faced man said with a nod. He took the mask from her and said, "This here is a mask that the supposed person dropped before they got away from here. This kind must be used to repel any water that got into them, and they burned out any seaweed in there with FireBending. But spirits know why they bothered to drop it."

Just then, Shun spoke up, "I saw that mask before! That's the same kind of mask those muggers who attacked me wore!"

"You sure?" Toph asked the healer. "Are you sure it's the same mask?"

"Yes. I'm very sure."

Toph nodded. "Okay then. We'll go to the city and check there for those criminals."

Aang wanted to come along to get rid of the pain. "I want to come along."

"No way, Twinkletoes," Toph replied, holding out an arm to stop him. "You stay here and take care of Katara. You're a father-to-be, for Pete's sake! And no, I have no idea who this Pete dude is," she added, seeing the looks on Sokka and Shun's faces. "Anyways, go back to your place and your wife. She needs you."

Despite knowing that Toph was right, Aang had no choice but to agree with her. Katara could be mad at him all she wanted, but he could tell that she needed to calm down before the actual act of healing could begin. Aratak was also with her, by the way; that was one of the main reasons he trusted her and loved her along with Katara.

"Okay, you're right," Aang said, backing away. "I'll go back. And if you want, we can send the two wolves with you to find these guys."

"And I'll go with you guys," Sokka added, stepping forth. "Katara's my sister too, and I'd like to see if she's okay."

Toph nodded. "Okay. Can you call the wolves first?"

Aang nodded back. "Sure" he said just at the same time Shun said, "I'll call the wolves...I'm coming with you."

So she called both wolves' names, and Balto and Brutus came bounding over, the smell of fish on their muzzles. Aang gave instructions to them, for he knew the wolves of the island tribe were very intelligent and could understand human words...even if they couldn't say those words. Then he watched the wolves join the MetalBending cops on Appa's saddle, and he heard Toph call "Yip yip" for perhaps the first time ever. Appa let out a roar and took off into the air, heading towards the city until the clouds shielded him from view.

But while they disappeared, Aang then remembered something the officers said. The mask that the criminals had dropped had been said to repel water, and they would have probably burned the seaweed out with FireBending. He remembered seeing Katara's burned necklace and thought of something he could do to fix it.

_Please, past Avatars, _he prayed. _Please let this work._

So Aang headed back to the house, where he found the necklace still there; Katara must have left it there. He picked it up and carried it gently over towards a table, where he laid it down beside a bowl of water. Giving a small sigh, he started Bending the water out of the bowl and over the blackened heirloom, focusing on bringing out the negative energy in there. He flicked his hand, and the ashes mixed with the water as they were removed and dumped outside. That was one step done, and on to the next one.

Aang headed back inside and walked back to the necklace, noticing the cracks in it. He took a slab of stone outside the window with EarthBending and fitted the pieces of earth in the cracks as if he was creating a statue. Finally, he Bended some more water and washed it over the stained silver tag, watching as the grime came off and was replaced by pure silver...and there it was, all fixed and brand-new looking.

_I can't believe it didn't take that long to fix, _Aang realized, picking the necklace up. _And I can't believe I actually fixed this! Won't Katara be happy to see this?_

And speaking of her... "Time to show this to a certain someone."

**...**

"Katara? You in there?" Aratak asked, knocking on the master bedroom door.

"Go away!" came the reply.

Aratak stepped back and sighed. So far, there was no success in getting the master WaterBender out of her room. No matter how hard she tried to get her out...or at least her getting into the room to comfort her...she was always repelled. There was no way she was going to let Katara deal with this alone or possibly do a certain thing.

"Whether you like it or not, I'm coming in," she called through the door.

There was no answer coming from the room, so she gently opened the door and walked inside. Aratak saw Katara sitting on the edge of the bed, looking out the window without looking at her. But when she turned around, her face was still sad, tears streaking down and her blue eyes reddened from the crying. Feeling even sorrier for her, the chieftain walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder; this time, she didn't move away.

"It's going to be okay," she murmured. "It'll be all fine."

Katara rasped, "No it won't..." Her voice got slightly bitter as she hissed, "Why did Aang have to make me keep my necklace here...why? If he had let me keep it with me...this is all his fault!"

Aratak scooted up a bit more to her and said pacifyingly, "It's not his fault, Katara. Not at all. You both didn't know your place would be robbed." When the WaterBender didn't turn around, she went on some more, "Look, sometimes bad things happen, and there's nothing you can do about it. But there's also a good light in this: you can try to forget about your worries and focus on something happier."

"How can you say that?" Katara rasped, her face holding slight surprise. "How can you say that and expect me to forget about my mom's necklace?"

"I'm not saying that," Aratak replied. "I'm just saying that you should forget the pain and focus on something better. Like...you have a husband who cares for you and loves you no matter what. He'd do anything to help you, and he'd be your shoulder to cry on in times of trouble. And no matter how many times you might reject him now, he's still going to be there for you."

Inside, she herself couldn't believe she was saying something like this. It wasn't like her, an adventurous and carefree woman like her to say comforting words like that. But it felt right to say all of that; Katara was her friend and one of her two mates, and she would do anything to help her come what may.

Katara was nodding a bit and then broke down a bit again. "You're right, Aratak...and why did I have to slap Aang like that? And I didn't mean it when I said I hated him...now he'll hate me!"

Aratak wrapped her arm around her some more. "No he won't. And he won't break off the marriage because of one slap. If he did, he'd be a jerk, but he's not one. So please stop crying." Taking a deep breath, she went on with mild pain in her heart, "It's fine to cry...but you can't be sad forever. I felt like this when Nanuk died, but I was soon able to get back on my feet. It's okay to feel sad, but don't forget to be happy in life."

Finally, Katara's weeping seemed to have dissolved as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked back up, and Aratak was happy to see a small smile come across her face. Then she saw the pregnant WaterBender take her hand and rest it over her protruding belly, and they both felt the baby inside her stir and kick.

"You're right, Aratak," Katara said. "I shouldn't keep being sad about what happened. Maybe by some miracle, it can come back." As Aratak nodded, Katara went on with a shy and sly smile, "In the meantime...let me return this favor."

She leaned over and pressed her lips to Aratak's lips, wrapping her arms around the skinnier woman. Aratak fell into the kiss, tasting her lips and relishing in her feeling better after what happened to their home. Just when they were getting closer...

"Am I interrupting something?"

Both women stopped their kiss and looked up at Aang, who was standing in the doorway. The Avatar had a mix of an amused smile and a nervous look on his face, and Aratak knew why. He was happy that his wife had someone to be comforted by, but he was also scared that she would slap him again. But after what happened, that seemed unlikely.

"No, it's fine," Katara said, standing up the best she could. Then, with an ashamed look on her face, she walked over and caressed his cheek (the one she slapped), saying, "Listen...I'm so sorry I slapped you back there. I was just angry. And I didn't mean to say that I hate you. I love you, Aang, and I don't want to lose you."

Aang nodded with a hopeful smile. "So does that mean you're not going to renounce our marriage?"

Katara nodded. "That's right, Aang. I'm not going to divorce you. I love you."

"I love you too, Katara, and I don't want to lose you." Just then, Aang dug into his pocket and fished something out, saying, "For you, my Forever Girl."

And there it was, lying in his hand: Katara's mother's necklace. It looked brand-new now as if it hadn't been burned in the fire; its silver tag was glowing brightly in the sunlight that shone from the window, and the strand that was bound together was fresh.

"Aang..." Katara was looking down at her mother's necklace with shock and awe. She gently took it into her hand and looked up at him. "How...how did you do this?"

Aang shrugged. "I felt as if a past life had done it before. So why couldn't I try it now? And the ones that attacked the island had masks that could burn seaweed out of them with FireBending, so I just removed the ashes with WaterBending. Besides, I know you were upset about your necklace, so I used some Bending to put it all back together. I hope you like it."

Katara's eyes were filling with tears again...this time, they were tears of joy. "Aang...I LOVE it! Thank you!" She flung herself at him and hugged him tight, sobbing in happiness, "Thank you, Aang! How can I have doubted you? And how can I pay you back?"

"By being the best WaterBender you can be," Aang told her with a small smile, hugging her back and kissing her forehead. Looking up at Aratak, he said, "Aratak, thank you for cheering her up; you're a good friend...wanna join in?"

"No thanks...not right now, anyways," Aratak replied politely. "It looks like you two need this moment together."

So Aang and Katara began kissing, and Aratak headed out of the room to leave them alone. Aratak headed over to her room in the women's sleeping dorms and laid out on her bed, looking around the room and thinking over what she had witnessed. Never before had she seen anything like this back at home, and it was a bit heartbreaking...and heartwarming once the ordeal was all over. This made her hope that nothing like that have had happened to her tribe as long as she had lived amongst her Tribemates.

But still...there was the gang who had attacked the temple and the island. They had struck while they were away, and they only left a clue about what they did for a living. The mask could lead them to where they were hiding out, but they would need to wait until Toph and her officers came back with more clues.

_Come to think about it...I think I'll try out the lactating later, _she thought. _There's something more important than that: finding that criminal gang._

**...**

In the streets, the two wolves were sniffing around, trying to pick up a scent. Their owners had let one of their friends, the armored female human named Toph, borrow them for a certain task. Never before had they been asked to track down criminals; the black wolf had been used for hunting, nothing more...but he was a natural at this.

The grayish brown wolf couldn't help but be proud of his father. He was slowly starting to accept civilization like he was. He was sure he would soon become like the pet dogs he had seen around the city...but he had only been here for a few days. The first wolf, though, had lived here for plenty of moons, and he knew it as well as the texture of the pads on his paws.

"How're you doing there, son?"

The wolf looked up to see his father Brutus padding over towards him, his black pelt groomed and shiny. He replied, "Nothing yet, Dad. Why would the bad humans want to ruin the island Aang and Katara live on? It makes no sense!"

Brutus shook his head. "I have no idea, Balto. I guess some humans are mean like that. Just don't worry about them; focus on scenting out some clues."

Balto nodded. "Got it."

He padded away from his father, his paw pads hard and used to travelling over hard terrain. All around him, though, were scents of rubbish and spider rats, small creatures that were said to be a pest in the city. He was thankful none of these had existed on the island, or else the tribe would have had nowhere to live. Balto shook his head, trying to get rid of the occupying thoughts in his head, and continued to pad around, sniffing.

All of a sudden, he saw something tan in between a heavy rock and the ground. It looked like it had some kind of writing on it, some kind of writing he could read somewhat well. So Balto began barking to get someone's attention, and he heard approaching footsteps as an answer. Toph was leading her officers over to the spot, Brutus beside them, and Balto pawed at the big rock pinning the paper to the ground.

"Men!" Toph commanded the officers. "Let's see what's under this rock!"

She got into her Bending stance and punched the rock, causing it to roll away from the paper. Once the rock was gone, one of the men walked over to pick up the paper and read it. He read, "'Do not tell anyone about the Black Spirit Clan. We are only focused on overthrowing the Avatar and those close to him, not faltering in our duty. Now come to the Dragon Flats District if you don't want to be caught.'"

Toph nodded. "Dragon Flats District, huh? Looks like we found our criminals." To the wolves, she said, "Hey, you two wolves got some good noses. You wanna come with us for a bit and track 'em down?"

Balto looked around at Brutus, who shrugged. "I guess it won't hurt," his father said. "Aratak will be busy with Aang and Katara in the meantime...if you know what I mean."

"I get it, Dad," Balto said with a playful roll of his eyes.

"Anyone wanna write a message to take back to Air Temple Island?" Toph asked. "We can use this leaflet to show them what we're all up against."

_And I hope it works, _Balto thought, feeling the savage feeling of a papa wolf in his veins. _We have some crooks to catch, and we'll fang them until they give up!_

_**To be continued...**_

**...**

**AvatarCat13: Well...that's the end of that chapter, and I hope you like it! 'Cause if not, let me know, and I'll try and fix it up And I hope you like how Aang fixed Katara's necklace; TheLucky38 came up with that idea. So thank him for this idea! And as for the wolves, they're a bit like police dogs here since German shepherds (which look a bit like wolves) are often police dogs.**

**I haven't had anything exciting happening over at my place...but we got good news. Just yesterday, Reesey got spayed! Not only because we don't need any more puppies (since she had given birth to eleven beautiful puppies altogether), but it's also for her health. She's had seizures whenever she went into heat, so we got her fixed to either stop or reduce the seizures completely.**

**So read and review! Those who do will get virtual statues or plush dolls of wolves; plus, this is the first chapter that has the POV of the wolves. Flames are not allowed here unless if they want to be doused with WaterBending. But I DO allow advice, questions of any kind, and constructive criticism as long as it's not harsh.**

**See ya next time!**


	8. On The Road To Recovery

**AvatarCat13: Hey there, everyone, and welcome to the new chapter for Aratak's Journey! I'm glad you all like what have happened in the last chapter, so I've decided to upload the new chapter. It'll be about the aftermath of what happened last time.**

**This chapter will be the aftermath of what happened after the raiding of the temple, and it'll show the rebuilding. It'll also mention a bit more of the sinister Black Spirit Gang and what they're up to recently. Plus, there will be a mention of another FanFic I made, and I said that story takes place a year before Kataang Island Adventure began. So make sure to keep a sharp lookout for it.**

**Two more things: there's be a lemon (one of them will be Aang having a dream, nothing more), and General Izan will show up in this chapter, so this might be quite a long chapter. So we're done with that part. Now let's get to the story.**

**Disclaimer: I know I keep saying this often, but I only own Aratak and Shun. I don't own Avatar: The Last AirBender or its characters, for they belong to Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. And I don't own Ataki, Ziron, and Izan; the first character belongs to Crazy Cowgirl Cassie, and the other two belong to Jade's One Of A Kind.**

**Uploading Date: August 17, 2013**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**On The Road To Recovery**_

The sun had risen again over Air Temple Island, and Aratak looked around the living room, having slept naked at night once again. It was still quite a mess from the day before thanks to the thugs that attacked the island. And it was thanks to Toph that they knew who they were: a gang called the Black Spirits, a group trying to ruin the Avatar. But for now, there was time to help repair the buildings on the island.

She walked over to the upturned sofa and started pushing it over until it stood back up, panting from the effort. There was nothing she could do about the tears in its sides, but this was the best she could do for this piece of furniture. Once that sofa was done, she did the same with the other one and then started picking up the other stuff. Papers were scattered here and there among with spilled ink, and Aratak tried sweeping it all up.

"Morning, Aratak. You don't have to do that right now."

Aratak froze in the middle of bending down and picking up the papers. Katara had arrived at the bottom of the stairs, holding onto the railing with one hand and massaging her big baby bump with the other. She was smiling kindly and rather seductively with a blush, making Aratak blush too and see why: she had bent down so that her behind was facing the WaterBender.

"Good morning to you too," Aratak said with a shy grin. "And if you're thinking of doing the same thing days ago, try harder. This piece of territory is mine."

Katara raised a brow a bit in confusion. "What? What're you talking about?"

Aratak rolled her bright green eyes, grinning still. "Sorry. I was just talking about this." She felt her cheeks burn more and her manhood start to harden as she laid her hand on her behind and gave it a strong slap.

"I'll keep that in mind," Katara said with a chuckle. She waddled over the best she could to the chieftain, kissing her cheek and saying, "I'll go make some breakfast for everyone in the meantime. Can you wake the others up, please?"

"Sure."

Aratak gave her cheek a little lick before heading off towards the doorway. But along the way, Katara added, "And I hope you don't mind me asking, but...how come we often see you naked in the morning?"

"I just miss being a nudist, that's all," Aratak replied, looking longingly over her shoulder. "I miss the warm wind against my skin and in my hair. And I miss...do you think I'm getting a bit boring with that 'I miss' stuff?"

"No," Katara replied sincerely. "It's natural for you to miss home. But for now, until you want to go home, this can be your home for the time being. Don't forget to wake the others up for breakfast...and you can _visit _Aang if you want," she finished with a wink. "Wake him up in any way you like."

Aratak nodded and headed upstairs, where it was a bit colder upstairs than it was downstairs. She walked over to Shun's room to wake her up, feeling a bit red in the cheeks as she got the latter up, before heading to her sister's room. Once Ataki was up, she went over to the guys' dorm to get Ziron up; he had told her that Izan was coming around today, so he couldn't sleep much. At last, she went to the room Aang and Katara slept in...and got quite an unexpected surprise.

The Avatar himself was all sprawled out on the bed, fast asleep...and in the nude too. Aratak blushed at seeing his toned and slightly muscular body, and she felt her manhood harden until it stood out like a flag. She wondered if she could wake him up in an unusual way, but it could not end well because the others could hear them. Yet...Katara had given her permission to wake him up in her own way, and she knew what to do.

So she walked over and started feeling his body, relishing in how firm and strong he was. Once she reached his manhood, Aratak started rubbing it until it was already hard as a pole. She bent down until it was between her breasts, noticing a familiar white liquid leaking from the peaks of her erect nipples. Aratak took a deep breath and began sliding up and down, watching her milk spray near his crotch, and she heard Aang start to groan in his sleep.

"It feels...good, Katara..." the Avatar was mumbling drowsily.

_So he thinks I'm Katara, eh? _Aratak thought with amusement. _Still...that didn't fully wake him up. Let's take this a bit further._

Noticing a tube of lube (It rhymes!) on the nightstand, she pulled away from him until she saw a trail of milk over his torso. Aratak grabbed hold of the tube from the nightstand, made it back to Aang, and squeezed some kind of clear honey-like liquid onto his erect manhood. Her heart beat faster than before as she then started rubbing some of the stuff around where she would let him enter. She was now sitting above him while she started sliding down and felt the head graze gently against her anus, making her sigh.

Once he was fully inside her, Aratak rose up a little before going back down again, watching her own erection stand out. She reached down, grabbed some more lube, and rubbed it over her throbbing shaft, and then she looked back at Aang. She was happy to see him groaning in his sleep; he was possibly dreaming of a really hot dream.

"Come on, Aang...you have to cum already..." Aratak panted as she rode him like a wild ostrich horse. She felt the tingling in her erect penis as she kept pumping it hard and gasped, "I-I'm fixing to cum too..."

_In the meantime, Aang was indeed having a dream. Katara and Aratak were both mating with him in the jungle of the island, the former riding him directly and moaning loudly like a cat in heat and the latter mating with her from behind. Aang reached up to massage Katara's belly and moved up to her breasts, squeezing her nipples and making spurts of milk erupt and spray onto his chest. He was amazed to see that Aratak was lactating too, for his wife's back and sides were soaked with milk and sweat, and the chieftain was rubbing her stomach against her back and groaning from being in her special kind of heat._

"_That's it, you two...keep cumming into me," Katara was panting as he thrust into her some more from the front. "This feels so good...fuck me more..."_

_Aang saw Aratak reach her hands around and squeezed Katara's breasts again, causing her to gasp and throw her head back. She always looked beautiful, and she always looked gorgeous whenever they had sex. At last, Aratak gripped her lactating orbs tighter and felt her seed force its way into her rear while Aang leaned up and kissed his wife from her stomach to her lips while he came into her._

Finally, she felt his seed rush into her while she gasped from the orgasm, her own seed splashing onto the Avatar's body. Aratak gasped for air and watched Aang relax at last from the orgasm, and he gave a small yet satisfied smile as he reached an arm up and laid it on her belly. But just then...his dark gray eyes flashed open and stared up at her in shock.

"A-Aratak?" Aang rasped. "Good morning. Was...was that you?"

Aratak blushed. "Good morning to you too, Aang...sorry for the rude awakening. How'd you guess that was me?"

Aang smiled up at her. "I could tell because your stomach's thinner. But still..." He looked a bit worried now as he sat up and asked, "Did Katara have the baby already?"

"Nope. She's still big," Aratak answered, sighing while letting him pull out of her anus. "Should we go down to breakfast?"

"Not yet," Aang told her. When she was about to whine a bit, he quickly said, "I mean...you had sex with me while I was sleeping. That, and I'm a bit covered with your stuff. We can go take a shower if that's fine. One more thing," he added. "Was that you lactating?"

Aratak nodded with a blush. "Yep. Did you like it?"

Aang nodded. "Yeah. You'll have to tell me how it happened."

**...**

True to his word, Aang and Aratak had taken a shower...together, that is. They had gotten dressed up after that and headed downstairs for breakfast. Aratak still felt a bit tired after their sexual activity together even if Aang had been asleep for that. But still, she was happy that she got that sexual tension out of her system and couldn't wait for some solitary time with Katara.

When Aang and Aratak went downstairs, Katara was already waiting for them in the living room with a tray of fruits and vegetables. Sokka and Toph were already with her, joining Aratak's Tribemates in breakfast, which also had fish along with it. Aratak hoped no one suspected her and Aang for doing what they did in the master bedroom. But Sokka was staring over at them, and she felt a bit miffed at how he was looking at them.

"Well, _there _you are," he remarked, eying them with suspicion. "What took you so long?"

"Nothing," Katara said, though Aratak could tell she somewhat knew what they did. "Aang's usually a heavy sleeper."

Aang glared playfully at his wife as he sat beside her. "No I'm not!"

Katara smirked back and kissed him on the lips. "Yes you are."

Aratak gave a small smile and sat next to Sokka, asking, "Are they always like this when you and the others are around?"

"Yeah, often," Sokka replied. With a smirk, he said with a snicker, "And you better be careful once they start making out. Those two will give you oogies faster than you can say leechi nuts."

At that word, Katara looked away from Aang to give her brother a glare. Aratak saw this too and decided to try and refute that idea. So she said with a smile, "I've actually seen them kiss plenty of times before. So if they want to kiss in front of me and give me the oogies, then it's fine by me."

Silence greeted her words as Team Avatar gaped at her in mild surprise. Then Sokka sighed, "I wonder if Suki still has my Wang Fire beard around. I'd find a way around that one..."

"Hey Sugar Queen!" Toph suddenly said with a sly smirk, breaking the brief tension. "Tell the islanders about the time you were the 'Monster of Ba Sing Se.'"

"What happened?" Aratak asked, worried about her friend.

Katara just replied calmly, "It's nothing THAT bad, Aratak. I didn't murder anyone. But...I did nearly crush the city," she added with a guilty giggle. "You see...I was getting jealous that Aang was growing taller than me, so I got a secret potion from a dealer in a bazaar. I was told to take only a few spoonfuls a week, but I chugged the whole thing."

Ziron winced at that. "I don't want to say this, but you should've read the directions."

"Hey, I know that NOW," Katara said. "And after a night's rest, I started growing taller than Aang...and everyone else. We found out what caused me to grow more: it was anytime I was splashed by water. By the time Toph brought me to some shelter in the old Ba Sing Se, I was already at twenty feet tall."

"Wait a minute," Shun piped up, holding up a hand. "How do humans grow to such a height?"

Katara replied, "We don't, usually. We either get a potion or some kind of magic. And I was the first person in YEARS who grew tall," she added with a slightly smug look on her face.

Sokka rolled his eyes. "No need to be smug about it, sis. No need to be smug. But anyways, she somehow outgrew her hiding place, so she had to hide in the Earth King's palace. Meanwhile, we got some advice from Zuko's uncle Iroh about what to do, and he advised us to handle the situation as calmly as we could. But Katara got captured by the Earth Kingdom soldiers, and they held her down by the neck, arms, and legs with their EarthBending."

Aratak winced and felt a feral growl rise inside her throat. In her tribe, no one was allowed to tie up anyone even if that person was bad. But if they had to keep ground predators away from their catch, the hunters could use vines to hoist the prey above the ground and in the trees...on thin branches even a hawk leopard couldn't reach.

"Anyways, I bought the same kind of potion from the same guy, and we found Katara," Aang put in. "She was attacked by the soldiers, so I decided to take the potion and grow to her height to calm her down. And after all that was over, the Dealer got us the antidotes, and everything went back to normal. Plus, who would attack their Avatar when he's a giant?"

"Not anyone now. And speaking of giant..." Katara took Aang's hand in hers and moved it to her stomach. "...I still feel like I'm getting bigger."

"Good to hear that," Toph said, getting up. "Thanks for the breakfast, but I gotta go. I promised my officers I'd patrol with them around the island to check for any more damage. Anyone wants to come with me will be fine."

"I will," Aratak said right away, standing up.

"Me too," Ziron said quickly. Noticing Aratak seeing him get up, he told her, "Sokka told me that Fire Lord Zuko told him that Dad's coming over to the island today. I wanna show him his future niece or nephew. Ataki?" He turned to his mate. "Do you wanna come along?"

Ataki nodded, getting up the best she could. "Sure. He's the one who thought we'd be together one day. And he was right!"

Just then, Sokka got up too, swallowing the last bit of breakfast he had. "How about we all go together? Just like back in the days of good ol' Team Avatar!" he added with a grin.

"Good ol' Sokka," Katara muttered with a roll of her eyes.

**...**

Everyone got outside after they finished breakfast, and they headed over to the forest where the lemurs were now living. They were all in the trees, chittering angrily down at Balto and Brutus; the two wolves were below them, chewing on what appeared to be cooked turkey duck. Aratak was confused, for she didn't see any turkey duck during breakfast. She whistled once, and both Balto and Brutus loped over to them, greeting the humans with licks and tail-wagging.

Toph's officers had camped in the woods for the night to keep an eye out for any attackers that could return to the island. They told their captain that there hadn't been any attacks yet, but they wanted to check around just in case. So far, fortunately, there were no gang members, but they had caused damage to some of the trees and plants in the forest.

Just then, Aratak looked to the side and noticed something big and dark gray heading to the docks. It slightly looked like a battleship, the one she heard that General Izan travelled in. She headed away from the partly-burned forest and headed over to the docks, and the sounds of burnt grass crunching and pebbles shifting told her that the others weren't too far behind her. They got to the dock and waited until the large ship pulled up, and the bowsprit of the ship extended until its tip reached the wood.

Several Fire Nation soldiers marched out, and right behind them was Fire Lord Zuko. Aratak had been afraid at first because of what his father almost did to her tribe's island, but the young Fire Lord was no threat to them. Beside him was a familiar large man with ruby armor, a scar across his face, short black hair tied in a knot in the back, and sharp golden eyes. Yet when his eyes rested on Ziron, his hard face softened.

"Son!" Izan marched over and threw Ziron into a very tight one-armed hug. "It's good to see you again, Ziron."

"You two, Dad...you're crushing me," Ziron wheezed. Izan quickly released him, and his son asked, "How are things at the Fire Nation?"

Izan replied, "Things are still going okay. And the Avatar was right in what he said months ago; this IS a time of peace. And how are you in return, son? Is the tribe still treating you right?"

Ziron nodded. "Yes sir. And..." He waved his hand for Ataki to come out from between Katara and Toph and said, "...Ataki and I are expecting our first child. You'll be a grandpa!"

"Oh, I know now. Zuko told me as soon as he got back to the palace!" Izan said with a chuckle. "This is great news indeed! My warm wishes to you and your girlfriend, son. And to you too, little warrior," he added as he rested his large hand over Ataki's belly. "You've got some good future parents, you do."

This made the young couple smile at this.

"Okay, this is great news, but let's get to business," Zuko spoke up, breaking up the moment. "I heard about what happened to the island and Katara's mom's necklace. Are you guys okay? I brought over some soldiers to help with the situation."

Aang nodded. "We're fine, Zuko, and so is her necklace. And how'd you know so much about necklaces anyways?" he asked with a smile.

Zuko retorted, "Hey, Katara lost her necklace by accident years ago, so I...took it. You know, to keep it safe...okay," he sighed. "I did it to catch you and take you back to the Fire Nation...but I also wanted to give it back."

"We know the story already, Zuko," Katara told him. "But still, thanks for returning the necklace. I wanted to give you something in return."

To Aratak's amazement, she waddled up to Zuko and kissed him lightly on the cheek. She blushed a bit and said, "Sorry...I told Aang that he can give you a kiss for me...but I think that would be weird for a guy to kiss a guy."

"It's fine," Zuko said, waving his hand dismissively. "It's between friends, that's all. Just don't tell Mai about this, okay?"

Quickly, as if to break this up, Sokka stepped in between them and spoke up, "Okay, I think we better go back to patrolling! Let's move out, officers!" They didn't move, and he said a little louder, "Well? What're you guys waiting for?!"

Toph had her hand to her face as she sighed, "No offense, but I'M the head of these officers, not you. And I'LL say when they can move out." To her officers, she barked, "Okay soldiers! Move out double-time!"

All of them nodded with a salute and headed back into the burned forest, the Fire Nation soldiers following them along with Zuko. Team Avatar went with them, as did the islanders, and Aratak noticed some more soldiers coming down the ramp with construction supplies. That included wood, stones, and sticks. She guessed that they must have stayed up all night getting all of this to help restore Air Temple Island.

They got over to the burned forest, where some Air Acolytes were already sowing seeds along the charred ground. They even sowed the ground with tree and fruit seeds to help the forest grow back to its former self, arriving at the greenhouses, where the vegetables the Air Acolytes ate grew. It was dark once they entered, but Aang and Zuko lit every candle in there until they saw what happened on the inside. Everywhere they looked, plants were crushed or burned, and the glass on the outside was broken down.

So everyone got busy with trying to get any broken plants upright. Katara and Ataki didn't have to do any extra work, for they could tire themselves from the extra activity. The wolves were also at work, sniffing the ground and growling at the intruders' stale scent.

"Hey guys!" Sokka called near the back of the room. "The wolves found something!"

Aratak and Aang headed over to see what he had found. The Water Tribe warrior was holding a bit of scroll in his hand, the bottom part burned off. And attached to the note was a stiletto spike with some kind of dark purple stuff on the tip.

"Does the note say anything?" Aratak asked.

Sokka nodded, his voice trembling with some heated emotion as he said, "Yeah. It says 'Your mission is to go to Air Temple Island, lay waste to the buildings, and wait for the Avatar or his wife to come in. Once one of them appears, attack them and kill their child. That abomination is the result of inbreeding between the Air Nomads and the Water Tribe, so it must be destroyed. And after that..."

Aratak saw Katara gasp with her hand on her heart and Aang's eyes narrow, so she asked, "What else does it say?"

"Nothing. The rest of it got burned." Sokka handed the note to Toph and growled, "Who do those lunatics think they are, threatening the life of my sister and my niece or nephew?!"

"They're lunatics, just like what you said, Snoozles," Toph said with a shrug. "But yeah, they've gone too far in actually saying this. We're gonna have to do something with this."

Shun asked, "Hey Toph? How come you call Aang Twinkletoes, Katara is Sugar Queen, and Sokka is Snoozles?"

Toph shrugged again. "I call them by their nicknames for affection. That, and I do this." She gave Sokka's shoulder a rather hard punch, making him hiss "Ow!" as she went on, "And I'll give you nicknames too. Shun, you'll be Herb Lady, Aratak will by Double Twinkletoes, Ataki is Frisky, and Ziron is Sparky."

"I thought I was Sparky," Zuko retorted.

"Fine," Toph said with a roll of her eyes. "Then Ziron will Hot Spark. Happy now, _Sifu Hotman_?"

"We have a more important matter here," General Izan reminded her gruffly before Zuko could retort. "They're after the baby, so both he or she and Katara are in danger. What do we do from there, huh?"

Aang added, "That's true. I don't want my family to die unprotected."

"They won't be able to." Zuko had spoken up. "General Izan, I'm hereby posting some guards including you around the island to guard the Avatar's family. Make sure you guard the island as much as you can, and you can take breaks if you want. But other than that, do NOT abandon your posts for too long."

Izan nodded with a Fire Nation salute. "Yes sir."

Just then, Katara spoke up indignantly, "Why're you guys trying to protect me? I'm not the helpless young girl six years ago! I can handle myself!"

Aang headed over to her and hugged her, reassuring her, "Katara, we're only doing this because we're all worried for you and our baby...and I'M the most worried for you. You're in danger now from this new gang, so you'll need the protection you can get." He smoothed his hand over her stomach and said, "I promise I won't put you and the baby in any danger."

"Well..." Finally, Katara sighed and muttered, "Fine. But I won't like it."

Toph came over and added, "Along with Zuko posting soldiers on this island, I'll be staying here with you. You'll need the extra helping hands you can get."

Katara told her, "Thanks, Toph."

Aratak was happy for her and Aang, for they had friends all over that care for them. Not that the tribe on the island wasn't caring, for the Amaroo tribe was family-oriented and caring. And that was due to visitors mating with them and leaving, thus, keeping any incest from happening. But still, one thing began bothering her: the Black Spirit Gang.

These people wanted to attack Aang by killing Katara and their baby. She had never known that people would stoop this low by doing this, and she had a hard time NOT being mad at them. All throughout her life, she knew murder was wrong, but killing a baby even before he or she was born...that was very unforgivable.

One day, the Black Spirit Gang will regret messing with the Avatar and his family. And Aratak would make sure to make them pay.

_**To be continued...**_

**...**

**AvatarCat13: Well, there you go, folks! They're recovering, and they're finding clues of the Black Spirit Gang! I've decided to add that lemon to this chapter since most of the answers I got from you on my poll wanted a lemon. And NO, that part with Katara kissing Zuko on the cheek will NOT lead to Zutara. They're just friends on here; besides, remember what she said on Bato Of The Water Tribe.**

**We got some bad news. The bad news...my sister's dog Tank was put down the other day. He was run over by a car in Louisiana, and he was beaten up very badly as a result. Plus, next week was gonna be his third birthday...but he's not in pain anymore. He'll be able to chase all the squirrels he wants in heaven now. And good news...I don't know so far.**

**So...read and review. Those who do will get a plush doll of a light brown Dachshund in memory of Tank. And you can decide what will happen in the next chapter...maybe a longer lemon. I do NOT allow any flames, but I DO welcome advice, questions of any kind, and constructive criticism as long as it's not harsh.**

**See ya next time.**


	9. The Night Of Passion

**AvatarCat13: Hey there, everyone, and welcome to the newest chapter of Kataang Island Adventure 2. Well, here we are, folks! The ultimate lemon chapter you've all been waiting for. Let's get a few things out of the way before we go on with the story.**

**A reviewer had told me that the pairing of Aratak/Katara was hotter than Aratak/Aang. And why isn't it not? Katara fell for Aratak quicker than Aang did for the chieftain, and some girl-on-girl action won't hurt. Like I said before, I'm a Kataang fan, but I like to mix it up, like chocolate on cookies-&-cream ice cream. Plus, I know I've let the wolves use the normal word for humans lately, but I'm changing it. You'll see what the new word is.**

**So anyways, on we go to the disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last AirBender does not belong to me; it belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. I DO own Aratak and Shun, however...but Crazy Cowgirl Cassie owns Ataki while Jade owns these characters: Ziron and his father.**

**Uploading Date: August 18, 2013**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**The Night Of Passion**_

She had already heard the news: Aang was heading out to the city for a day for some Avatar business. Aratak knew that it was probably serious, for he had said that it would take him a day or two before he could come back. She also knew that someone would need to keep an eye on Katara and make sure she was safe; they even said that she could give birth any day now.

Aratak had come back from the post office, learning from General Izan of how to use the place. She knew how to use the hawks due to several living on the tribe's island, but she had to learn how to use the post office. Once they made it back to the group, who were in the nearby plaza, she sat next to Shun, making her blush when she looked at her healer's face. But she ignored the feeling right now; Sokka was holding court.

"So who's ready for a meat-tastic veggie-free day?!" the Water Tribe warrior cheered, his fist high in the air. Seeing Aratak, he muttered, "Oh...sorry. Forgot you were an Air Nomad."

"It's fine," Aratak said with a smile. "I'm not an Air Nomad, but I eat meat along with the Air Nomad diet. Remember?"

Sokka gave a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of his head. "Hehe...sorry again, Aratak."

Aratak didn't change her smile. "Like I said, it's fine."

"I'm leaving some officers here to patrol the island," Toph added. "There haven't been any attacks yet, but we're not taking any chances by standing by idly. I have some work to be done around downtown, and Aang's coming with me. Right, Twinkletoes?" she asked, turning to the AirBending Avatar.

Aang nodded with uncertainty. "Yeah...but I wanted to spend time with Katara and teach Aratak more about AirBending. But the people still need their Avatar."

"You're not abandoning your family to help someone," Katara reminded him. "I told you before that you have to do what's right for the people first. Then afterwards..." Aratak noticed how shy her voice had gotten when she said this.

"But you'll have the other Acolytes with you on the island too," Aratak pointed out. Then she leaned in closer and whispered, "And me too."

But before Aang could respond, Sokka asked, "What's everyone else gonna do meanwhile?"

"I'm letting Ziron take Ataki with him back to the Fire Nation," General Izan spoke up. "It's about time my son gets to see his old home again."

"That's nice of you," Sokka said. "I used to think you were this spiteful old bone bag who had no heart. But now...you're cool!"

Izan glared at him, and Katara rolled her eyes, saying, "Whatever you say, Sokka."

**...**

Aratak felt as if she was back on the island she lived at as the warm water soaked her naked body. It felt so good that she wanted to stay in here all night, but she couldn't. Aang would be away for a day, and she herself had promised to keep Katara safe until he came back. She knew he was right; in her condition, Katara could be vulnerable to anything if anyone struck the room they stayed at. Plus, it was still cold outside, which made her feel like she could never be used to the very cold weather.

_I wonder if Shun, Ziron, or Ataki tried this out yet, _she wondered. _We could all get in together._

Feeling warm enough, Aratak stepped out of the bath, water dripping down her slender body as she dried herself by blowing the water away with AirBending. She had to thank Aang for teaching her that technique sometime when he would come back. But as she put on the spare Air Nomad robes, she felt a bit more homesick since she felt like being clothed cut her out of nature. But Aratak told herself that it wouldn't be too long, for it would be a break from leading the Amaroo Tribe, but she still missed them. Once she was done with putting these clothes on, she wiped up the spilled water on the floor and headed on out.

She made it back to the room where Aang and Katara were sleeping in to check up on Katara. The WaterBender was already there, lying on the queen-sized red-sheeted bed and propped up against a few pillows due to her pregnancy. She had been reading an ancient book, which was propped up against her swollen abdomen, before looking up and smiling at the approaching young chieftain.

"So what've you been up to?" Aratak asked, lying down next to the pregnant WaterBender.

"Nothing much," Katara replied, placing the book onto the nightstand after saving the spot. She laid her hands gently on her bulging stomach and began rubbing it while asking, "So what do you think of the baby being born soon? I got only a few weeks left until she arrives. Go on," she added with a giggle. "You can still feel my belly. It's not gonna bite."

Aratak rested a hand on her belly too, admiring how smooth it felt beneath her palm and feeling the kicking from the baby. "I think it's going to be great. You and Aang will be great parents, I know you will. And I bet you'll spoil the kid rotten too," she added with a smile and a wink.

Katara playfully slapped her hand away. "Get outta here! What makes you say that?"

"I've seen how you decorated the nursery," the hermaphrodite replied, still grinning. "There's loads of stuff about the Water Tribe and Air Nomads mixed together in there. Not to mention all the stuff you already got for the baby...like toys and stuff."

"Why wouldn't I? This will be our first baby," Katara answered. "In fact...this could be the first time an Air Nomad man and a Water Tribe woman have a baby...Aratak? What's wrong?"

Aratak had looked to the side and took her hand away from her belly, recalling that Nanuk herself was a WaterBender and was pregnant with their child. She had heard some stories that intersexual people couldn't get others pregnant, but she and her other mother had been special cases. Finally able to speak, she murmured, "Nanuk was a WaterBender...and a really good one. She would've loved to be your pupil if she was still...here to meet you."

Katara had an ashamed look on her face as she rasped, "Oh...I'm so sorry..."

"About what? You don't have anything to be sorry for." Aratak straightened herself up and gave her a small smile as she asked, "Is it okay if I...kiss you?"

"Of course you can," Katara replied. "After all...all three of us are mates."

Aratak nodded and leaned over towards her, lightly kissing her cheek before going for the lips. Katara did not seem surprised this time, for Aratak knew what they and Aang had done back on the island eight months ago. Carefully, the AirBender climbed onto her lap and was amazed that she was holding her up due to being heavier than her. A low purr hummed between them as Aratak slipped her tongue into Katara's mouth and roused her tongue awake with it, resulting in a rather passionate tongue-wrestling match.

"You're one great kisser," Katara breathed as they pulled apart. She blushed as she said, "I'm sorry if I offend you, but...I think Aang's a better kisser."

Aratak smiled and said, "I understand. So..." She blushed too as she asked, "Can I go further? If that's okay with you..."

Katara raised a brow slightly. "You mean as in...well..." She smiled and gave her a nod. "Sure. Let's see how we do this."

So the two women got back together and kissed each other for a second time, Aratak rubbing Katara's shoulders with her hands as they got beneath the robe. This caused the latter to purr as she gently pulled it up and over her until her white sarashi wrappings and large baby bump were revealed. After earning a nod of acceptance from her, Aratak bent down and began rubbing her belly and pressed her ear against it as she felt the baby kick some more inside her. Katara started giggling, so she started planting small kisses on the smooth skin, going to her protruding navel and licking it.

This made Katara giggle even harder. "Okay, Aratak, okay! Stop! That tickles!"

Aratak stopped tickling her and looked up at her with a smile. "Sorry about that. I just figured that it'd tickle. Even Nanuk told me the same thing."

"Well, it tickles," Katara told her, but she looked amused as she and Aratak settled down. "And it's fine. I've normally been not too ticklish before, but ever since I got pregnant, certain places like my breasts and navel got rather sensitive. _Especially_ with my breasts," she added with a seductive wink. "Want to see them again?"

This made Aratak look around at her with shock. It had been quite a week or so since she had started visiting the four nations, and she had already gotten used to seeing Aang and Katara in clothes while she and the tribe went naked. But she hadn't been in actual contact with other pregnant women before...besides her sister and a few other women from the tribe. Yet this was a night to hang loose and relax until Aang came back.

"...sure," was the reply.

So Katara gave Aratak a small shy smile as she reached over the best she could over her back. The latter watched on as the former's wrapping straps unwrapped themselves from the sides of her upper body and she was covering her chest. And once Katara moved her arm away from that area, Aratak couldn't help but stare at her chest and unable to stop blushing. Her breasts did look huge due to her pregnancy, her nipples were fully hardened and swollen from lactating, and altogether, they looked so soft.

"Wow..." Aratak rasped, trying to keep herself focused and ignoring a certain hardening beneath her robes. "You're so massive up close!"

"Thanks," Katara replied with her shy smile. "Though 'massive' seems too much because of my breasts and stomach. But would you like to explore me more?" she asked, her smile becoming crafty now as she shook herself and made her lactating orbs jiggle a bit. "These tits aren't going to wait forever, you know."

Aratak nodded. "Sure."

With a kink towards her, Katara allowed Aratak to gently pin her down as the chieftain leaned down and started kissing her lips again. But the kisses started going away from her mouth and over to her neck, making Katara stop giggling and start moaning in lust. Hearing this, Aratak kept it up until she got down to her breasts, which were now big enough to be weighed by a person's hands, and started caressing them softly. This made the young Water Tribe woman smile through the lust as she leaned her head back, so Aratak bent down and gently took her left nipple into her mouth.

"That feels...so nice..." Katara was now lying limply on the bed as Aratak continued her work. "Aratak...can I suck on your breasts too...?"

Aratak nodded and let go, saying, "Sure. They're starting to hurt anyways."

She took off the front part of her robes until she was completely topless. Once she was done with that, the chieftain arranged for herself to stand on her hands and knees over Katara so that her side was facing her. Aratak went back down to her other mate's lactating orbs and latched onto the right one just as Katara took hold of her teats and began sucking gently. It felt so good that she released her milk into her mouth right away, sucking harder and squeezing her other breast.

"Well...that was nice," Aratak panted, feeling Katara let go of her breast. "How was that?"

Katara smiled back up at her, her mouth rimmed with milk as she said, "That wasn't nice...it was REALLY nice. I guess this is really what it feels like to suck on another woman's boobs." She sat up and went on, "I think this room's getting a bit hot. What do you think, Aratak?"

Aratak felt rather hot from what they had done. "I agree. Do you mind if I take the rest of my clothes off? It's getting hot in here."

"Sure."

Noticing her shirt on the bed, she got up and slowly slid out of the pants that came with her Air Acolyte robes. She was already barefoot, so she only took the pants off until she was completely in the nude. Katara was doing the same by taking off her newly-soaked undergarments, which she tossed to the side, before turning back to Aratak. Now both women were lying on the bed, naked as the day they were born.

"Still think I'm massive?" Katara asked with a smile and a raised brow.

Aratak smiled back. "Okay, you're not really massive...but you're still huge. And beautifully so," she added, blushing. "And you know about how you and Aang did that really exotic dance just eight months ago?"

Katara nodded. "Yeah."

"Well...what're you like when you dance seductively?" Aratak asked. "I'd like to see you do it."

"I guess I could," Katara answered. "I haven't done it in months, and I'm not in the best condition right now to do one completely. But...I guess I can do one tonight. First, help me get up."

So Aratak gently pushed her up to her feet before following her, not wanting to miss seeing her dance. But as she sat down at the edge of the bed, Katara pulled her to her feet and let her body rub against hers, their smooth skin brushing. Aratak felt her heart beat faster and her breath come out in short gasps as the pregnant WaterBender stepped back and moved her body and hips sway about in a seductive matter. She stepped over and began to massage her bulging abdomen as Katara did the same, and Aratak could hear her panting slightly from the stimulation.

With a smirk, Aratak moved over to behind Katara and pressed her pelvis against her soft buttocks, hands around the other woman's hips. But then...

"Aratak?"

"...yeah?"

"Are you touching my butt?"

Aratak gave Katara a very embarrassed look and, her cheeks glowing red, looked down. She had already come up behind her, rested her chin on her shoulder, and used her hands to gently grab hold of her buttocks. The young hermaphrodite was afraid that she wouldn't like it, so she began taking her hands away. But she put them back onto her soft cheeks and looked around at her with lustful excitement in her blue eyes.

"Yeah," Aratak confessed. "But it feels so soft and...big. So this isn't bothering you?"

Katara shook her head "No, it's never bothered me. It feels so good." Then she asked, her cheeks glowing, "Is it all right if you can...squeeze it a little more?"

Aratak nodded, gently squeezing her buttocks and pinching the soft flesh. Katara giggled at this feeling, but her giggling turned to moaning as Aratak kissed her neck and continued to squeeze her behind.

Then, when she stopped kissing her neck and hesitated, she turned her head around and started licking her lips to gain access into her mouth, purring. She opened her mouth and let her tongue slip in, and their tongues greeted each other like a dog greeting its owner. Aratak broke off the kiss as she bent down, kissed her buttocks, and sucked on the soft cheeks, biting the skin and leaving a bite mark before going back up to kiss her again. While they kissed, she could feel her hardened penis brush against Katara's behind, to gain entrance into her womanhood or her anus.

Katara seemed to notice this, for she stopped the kiss and teased playfully, "Don't worry about your friend. I'm saving a surprise for her."

Then they started kissing again, Aratak now rubbing her hands all over Katara's swollen belly. She broke away a little to rub her behind and even slapped it a little while kissing her, making Aratak press up even further against her back. While she gave her buttocks a sharp slap, she giggled at that and started licking her neck, sucking on the skin and making her groan.

But before they could go further, there was a scrabbling at the bedroom door followed by a wolf's whining. Aratak didn't really recognize the sound, but Katara apparently did. She let go of her neck, leaving a bite mark there, and looked over at the door.

"Balto, you'll have to sleep somewhere else tonight," she called. "But we'll let you back in here tomorrow night, okay?"

Aratak heard a bark and the patter of paws as Balto headed downstairs. Both women let out a sigh and laid back down on the bed, leaning against the wall and letting the cool air waft over their naked bodies. Katara wasn't Nanuk, but she was so much like her...which was one of the reasons she was now one of her two mates.

"Hey Aratak?" Katara suddenly asked, snuggling against her.

"Yeah?"

The young Water Tribe woman was looking the other direction a little as if she was thinking of something. Then she turned back and asked, "Do you mind if you lie down? I'd like to give you that surprise I mentioned. Close your eyes first, please."

Aratak hated to argue with her, so she laid down the best she could, closing her eyes and thinking of what she was going to do. It seemed to take a while for her to bring around her surprise...then she suddenly began moaning with lust and opened her eyes. Katara had sat down by her on the bed, started kissing her on the torso all the way down, and finally took her erect manhood into her mouth and started sucking.

This left Aratak amazed at what Katara was doing while she stimulated her and rubbed her privates with one hand. This must be one of the sex things she and Aang had taken together, and she had also experienced this eight months ago. Driven by an animalistic urge, Aratak slowly brought her erection almost out of Katara's mouth until the end was still in, and then she pushed in again until she was thrusting into her mouth.

"...Aratak..." Katara had taken her out of her mouth to talk. "Keep it up...cum into my mouth...as much as you want..."

"I...I'll do just that..." Aratak grunted, getting to her hands and knees as she draped her tongue around the tip of her penis and sucked some more. Now she was under her and on her own hands and knees as she continued her work.

Suddenly, Aratak felt stirring in her loin as she rasped, "K-Katara...don't stop...I'm gonna..."

But she couldn't finish, for she groaned loudly as she felt her privates tighten and released the familiar white sticky liquid into Katara's mouth. She eagerly gulped it down her throat and took her a bit out of her mouth to lick up the semen still clinging to her erection. Aratak kept thrusting some more and ran her hand through her hair, savoring its silkiness and gasping for breath as she moaned her name.

Finally, Katara let go, looked into her green eyes, and let her sit up. She sat up too and panted, "You don't taste like Aang, but you did taste good."

Aratak leaned towards her and kissed her on the lips, tasting some of her seed in the process. As she pulled back, the WaterBender leaned forward and started licking her cheek, making her do the same as he rubbed her swollen belly. She pulled back and started licking her belly again, even licking at her extended navel as she heard Katara giggle when she licked around the soft and delicate area.

But while she did that, Aratak suddenly heard Katara moan with lust; she had lain down on her back, her blue eyes closing with pleasure. She looked all over her body and, when she looked down, saw why Katara was moaning like that: her hand was pushing and pulling in and out of her womanhood while heat radiated from it.

Aratak looked up at Katara, whose face was etched with lust and pleasure as she masturbated. "So that's why you're moaning, huh?" she asked in amusement.

"Yes...ohhh..." Katara groaned as she looked into her eyes. Then she rubbed a bit harder and panted, "Stick...your hand...into my pussy..."

Hearing that, Aratak wasn't surprised; she had heard dirty words from eight months ago. So she reached her hand down at the sacred body part and rubbed her hand against the sensitive flesh before holding her hand inside her. Katara let out a gasp when she went in deeper and started rubbing it harder, making her gasp some more and twitch her legs. Aratak hoped they weren't making a lot of noise to draw all of the officers around the island over here.

Katara was gasping, "Aratak...stick your tongue in me...make me cum..."

And Aratak did so, replacing her fingers in her dripping cavern with her tongue. As he started to suck on her wet sensitive area, Katara began whimpering with lust and placed her hands onto her shoulders to steady herself. When Aratak continued licking, her mate let out gasps and moans of lust as she sunk her fingernails hard into her shoulders to stand the feeling. The chieftain felt it sting from the pain, but she felt it was worth it as she stuck her tongue in even further, feeling her erection build up a sensation inside.

"Aratak...! I have to cum...I'm cumming! Ohhh! Ohhh!" Katara rasped as her gasps and moans became a scream.

Soon enough, Aratak was squirted in the face with a musky-scented liquid as she climaxed. She licked up all of the liquid and scented Katara's milk very clearly, so she looked up from her vulva to see her squeezing her right breast to get some milk out. Aratak smiled a bit before inching her way over until her breasts were in front of her, and the WaterBender instantly took one of her teats into her mouth.

"I guess you wanted some more milk," Aratak moaned, feeling the milk start to come out. "I'd be more than happy to breastfeed my WaterBending mate."

"Yeah...and this is getting good so far," Katara said as she briefly let go before clinging on.

As she began sucking on her lactating orb, Aratak felt some more warm milk spray from her and into Katara's mouth. She began gasping with lust once again as Katara rubbed her swollen belly with one hand while squeezing her other breast with her other hand. They were both sweating due to all the things they were doing with one another, rasping as the blankets were littered with four liquids: semen, vulva juices, milk, and sweat.

But while this went on, Aratak felt sharp pain in her shoulder and turned to see what that was. Blood was steadily seeping down her arm; it was bleeding from when Katara had gripped on so tightly during her orgasm. This was a fifth liquid that had dripped down and splattered down onto the orange blanket.

"Aratak! Oh great spirits, I'm so sorry!" Katara squeaked with shock as she let go and noticed the slight wound.

She reached up to her and placed her right hand on her bleeding shoulder, milk trickling from her nipples. Aratak turned to see the wound on her shoulder glowing before Katara healed her other shoulder, which was also starting to bleed.

"It's no big deal," Aratak said. "You just don't want a repeat of last time, right?"

They both looked at Katara's right shoulder, where an old scar ran down her shoulder and stopped above her armpit. She had gotten this from Sharpclaw, a dinosaur that had haunted the island for years, and she actually fought him before she got the scar. It appeared that she was proud of this, for she had proved that she could handle herself well in a fight. But since she was pregnant now, she would need help escaping from battle instead of fighting.

Then Katara murmured softly, "How about I pay you back? I haven't even done this with Aang yet, but I thought you may like it. Though...it'll have to involve your dick."

"Um...sure."

Katara gave Aratak a sly smile and a quick kiss on the lips before sitting up straight and scooting herself near her erect manhood. Blushing harder, she inched her chest toward her until the erect manhood was right between her breasts, making Aratak realize that she had done the same for Aang days ago. Then, with a wink at her, Katara squeezed her mounds together until Aratak's erection was in between them.

Taking a deep breath, Katara started moving up and down until she was letting her slide in and out between them. While this went on, some milk oozed down from her teats, and Aratak almost had the urge to break free and lick it up, but she fought it away. To help her, she started to thrust in between her breasts until she felt the stirring in her erection once again and the tense feeling in her own breasts. Aratak could hear her rasping as she slid up and down to arouse her while she kept saying her name in her panting.

"Katara..." Aratak rasped as she thrust some more. "...it feels so good...I'm fixing to..."

But she didn't finish once again, for her seed erupted from her penis and into the air as she thrust and let out a mighty gasp. But to her horror, her seed landed right on Katara's face.

"Whoa! I'm sorry!" she moaned, moving forward to wipe it away. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay, Aratak," Katara replied as she stopped her. She looked up at her with semen coated on her face, but she was smiling. "That's the way this is meant to go. I can clean up easily."

With that, she let her manhood bounce away from her chest and used WaterBending to summon some water from the spring in the master bathroom. When the blob of warm water got near them, Katara used this to swipe away all of the semen except from on and around her lips. Seeing her eyes sparkle with mischief, Aratak watched as she used her tongue to lick the seed off of her lips. When this was done, she began blowing her to get the straying part of seed in her manhood.

When that was done, Katara purred and leaned back against the wall, sighing and covered in sweat. Aratak joined her, and as she joined her lover, she moved to her side and snuggled up against her. At this, Aratak rested her hand on Katara's swollen belly and started rubbing, thinking of what the precious life inside her would think of its mother and her friend doing this.

While they relaxed, Katara looked up and murmured slyly, "...some women have breasts big enough to let them nurse themselves. Did you know I could breastfeed myself? But just a little?"

"Really?" Aratak asked, surprised. "I'd like to see it...if it's okay with you."

Katara gave her a warm smile before massaging her right breast and bending her neck so that her head was near it. When she got there, she quickly took her own darkened erect nipple into her mouth and began sucking on it, her eyes half closed with pleasure. Aratak hadn't seen her do this before, but it did make her want to join in.

Then she saw her hand go down and heard her grunt with bliss; the hermaphrodite could tell she was masturbating once again. So she joined in by sucking on her other breast while she reached her hand down further, joining in helping her masturbate with both their hands in her vagina. As if that wasn't enough, Katara had reached over and was pulling her even closer so that Aratak was leaning against her abdomen.

Finally, when she let go, Katara rasped, "Aratak...I want you to fuck me right here and now...I want your cock in me..."

"Right now?" Aratak asked.

"Yes. But first, I have something to ask you." When she nodded, letting her know she was listening, she explained, "Aratak, I know Aang and I have been friends with you for only eight months, but I can never thank you enough for how you welcomed us into the tribe. Now I'd like to ask you: would you like to be the godmother of our child? We've thought of some godmothers and godfathers...and you can be one of them."

Instantly, Aratak felt as if she had kicked an eel snake by accident and it jolted her. She never knew Aang and Katara had this much faith in her while she had stayed separated from them all the eight months she waited for them. Yet this news was much more exciting than all of the sex stuff they had done this very night. So Aratak gently laid her hand on Katara's belly again and rubbed it; she could feel the child inside her stir, and she felt joy for one that wasn't her own.

"You already know how I feel about you and Aang. And...I would be honored to be your child's godmother. I'll be the best one I can be."

Katara gave a squeal of joy as she hugged her tightly and purred, "Thank you so much! Aang and I knew we could count on you!"

Aratak hugged her back. "Now we can celebrate this tomorrow, right?"

"Yes. I'm so glad you're the new godmother," Katara told her with a smile. With a crafty grin, she got to her hand and knees, her rear facing her, as she said, "And to show my gratitude for accepting, you have the honor of getting into me tonight."

"Okay then," Aratak said, feeling her penis erect again. "I better go a bit slower than usual, though. Remember that you're around two weeks away from giving birth."

Katara smiled at her over her shoulder. "I know. Now no more talking..."

Feeling tense at finally getting this far with her, Aratak pressed up to her buttocks, pausing only to soak her back with her milk. Then she slowly wrapped her arms around Katara's waist and pushed herself gently into her awaiting entrance.

"Katara, if it hurts, let me know. I don't wanna hurt you," Aratak said, seeing the slight pained look on her face as she mounted her.

"It won't hurt. Trust me," Katara purred, relaxing. "It WILL hurt, but it'll feel good."

Aratak nodded as she felt her vaginal walls constrict around her penis, gluing them together. She then slowly brought herself almost out of her in a sliding motion until only the head was in before she pushed back in. She kept repeating until she was thrusting into her in an animalistic way, Katara grinding her behind against her thighs to add pleasure to the sex, moaning in lust and delight. While Aratak continued thrusting inside her, their groans and rasping filled the chilly night silence:

"Aratak...faster...hump me harder...ohhh...ohhh..."

"Katara..." Aratak groaned. "It feels...so great..."

After this, she brushed her hands against the underside of her belly as she humped her more. She was rasping and could barely say her name while Katara was moaning her name out loud. While they continued, she felt her thighs keep slapping against her behind, making them grunt with lust as she let go of Katara's thighs and held on to her shoulders.

"Ohhh...don't stop, Aratak...don't stop!" Katara groaned with tears of lust in her eyes. "Hump me faster...fuck me...! I'm gonna cuuum...!"

While Aratak let out a yell of lust as she humped her, Katara let out a loud lustful scream as the former felt her seed finally erupt and spill inside her. She was thankful she was now pregnant because she didn't want her to get heavy with child again; Aratak also felt guilty at doing this because she would be a godmother, but she wanted to help her relax. Now she was ecstatically lost in her relationship with Katara.

Next, Aratak quickly let go of Katara's thighs and lifted her foot over and onto her back. She was still inside her womanhood, but she was in a new position that perhaps Aang hadn't tried yet, a bit like wolves would do. In the meantime, Katara was groaning, "Fuck me, Aratak...oh fuck...harder..." And they continued, she steadied herself carefully on one arm and put a finger into her anus, hissing, "Oh...this feels nice...hump me, Aratak..."

After a while, Aratak carefully lifted her leg off Katara's back as she took her finger out from her rear. Then she slipped beneath her until she was carefully pinning her down while her manhood was still in her warm wet walls. Now Katara was underneath her and threw her hair back as she rasped and thrust under her lover, her breasts shaking. As she continued to hump her, Aratak laid her hands on her breasts, and her nipples began leaking milk onto her chest and onto her neck. She responded by licking the milk off her chest and neck as she continued to thrust.

Finally, Katara's vaginal walls relaxed as Aratak slipped out of her, her manhood relaxing and no longer being rigid; their animalistic urges were fading away. Katara panted hard now as the moon out the window shone on her enlarged stomach, her breasts shaking with every pant she took. Being pregnant must have taken a lot of energy out of while as they mated.

"Great...spirits above..." Aratak sighed as she rested her head against Katara's sweaty shoulder. "That was...amazing as usual..."

"I know...and Aang said I'd get hurt from sex like this..." Katara rasped back, gently rubbing her head against Aratak's. She then began licking her cheek, only breaking away and asking, "You think we should do this often until Aang gets back tomorrow?"

Aratak shrugged while the pregnant WaterBender resumed her licking. "As long as we're both careful. Aang DID say we have to be careful when you're just weeks away from giving birth. But...does he trust us to do this?"

Katara stopped the licking and nodded. "Yes. We're all mates, aren't we? And if you want to..." She managed to smile despite being tired from the mating. "...you can stay inside me until tomorrow morning."

"I don't see why not," Aratak replied, kissing her on the lips again. She laid down beside her and said, "Tonight's been a really good night. I..."

"I know you do," Katara answered the unfinished words. "And we love you too, Aratak."

And as she closed her eyes, looking peaceful and gorgeous while relaxing, Aratak asked, "Is it okay if I feel your stomach again tonight?"

Katara nodded. "Sure. Good-night, Aratak."

"Good-night."

Thus, Aratak lifted her hand and smoothed it over Katara's belly, resting it over her navel and trying to feel the baby inside her womb. There was no squirming, but she supposed the baby had fallen asleep for the night. Aratak smiled at the thought of seeing the day that her new godchild would be born, and she would be ready for it when that day came. But as she was closing her eyes to sleep, a startling thing made her gasp, her heart threatening to break out of her chest.

Nanuk was there, a white mist and stars around her body. She had looked the same as ever before she died, from the tanned skin to the odd-colored eyes (one green and one blue) and to the thick dark brown hair. But there were two things different about her: her belly was no longer swollen, and she was wearing Southern Water Tribe robes. Aratak still laid there beside Katara, shocked beyond words at what she was seeing.

And what she was next almost made her heart stop. A little girl was beside her, blue eyes shining and dark brown hair blowing in an invisible breeze. She looked a bit like Aratak except that she had darker skin...and the different hair and eye color were obvious. Plus, she looked as if she was around ten years old, the age when the children in her tribe get into more advanced training.

"...Nanuk?" Aratak whispered. "And...our daughter?"

Nanuk nodded and laid a hand on the child's shoulder as stars swirled around them, sad smiles on their faces. And as Aratak finished blinking, they vanished into thin air.

Aratak looked back down at Katara, who was now nestled peacefully in the blankets and pillows of the thick bed. She had seen Nanuk's face, and she had shown approval...with a bit of sadness too. And what about their child? What was her name? Could they have appeared this night to tell her something important?

_I don't know...but I saw them again. _She leaned back against Katara, her head resting over her left breast, as she thought, _Nanuk...visit me again. You and our daughter._

**...**

It was a shame that Balto wasn't allowed to sleep on the longpaws' bed for the night, but it was fine with him. He had often slept away from their room when he got bigger and older; besides, since spring was on its way, he would shed, and Aang and Katara would not want shed wolf hairs on their bed. That, and he knew wolf hair would also get on the ruined sofa, so he rested in a pillow he liked to sleep on.

But a few minutes after he had gotten to sleep, he could hear moaning. Balto lifted his muzzle into the air, gave a sniff, and lifted his head down, grunting in mild revulsion. It appeared that Katara was mating with someone else...possibly Aratak. He would never understand how any longpaw would use mating as passion; in nature, animals mated for the sake of reproduction. So he gave a grumble and laid his forepaws on his ears to keep them shut.

Just then, a new moaning voice came from Shun's room, and an odd scent came from there too. This made Balto sigh and get up from the pillow, however tired he was. He didn't care if it wasn't Katara and Aang mating together, for he just wanted some sleep.

"That moaning's getting on my last nerves," he grumbled. "Time to go outside...I wonder if the bison have room in their caves."

_**To be continued...**_

**...**

**AvatarCat13: Well, there you go! The lemon chapter is complete! Plus, about this lemon, I partly got that from a Pokémon/Avatar lemon story I wrote three years ago. It was really nice, but it's not as good as the lemons I make now...but MY lemons aren't as good as such lemon stories like Light-Eco-Sage and the such. Plus, I don't own the words longpaw or longpaws; they belong to Erin Hunter's series Survivor Dogs.  
**

**And yeah, Aratak saw her dead mate and child for the first time in a LONG while. Yes, they had something important to say, but they couldn't say it at a time like this. It'll affect her later on in the story...and it'll affect Shun too; speaking of Shun, I'll tell you what that extra moaning was: she noticed the two of them mating and decided on some fun for herself, if you know what I mean.**

**Just remember to read and review! Those who do will get a prize of their choice, but what, I can't recall. I do NOT allow flames or else they will be put out with WaterBending, but I DO welcome advice, questions, and constructive criticism as long as it's not harsh.**

**See ya next time!**


	10. The Dog Fight

**AvatarCat13: Hey there, everyone, and welcome to the newest chapter for Aratak's Journey! I know I've shown the POV of the wolves only once, and this chapter will reveal more of the world in the wolves' eyes. And also, keep a lookout for a mini-lemon here; you'll see where it's at.**

**The fight coming up will be from an old cartoon of White Fang, which was supposedly made by Disney. I actually kinda liked it. People complained about the songs and all that, but if it's by Disney, SURELY it's not bad. I won't tell you yet on what part it will be, but if you go onto YouTube and see it, then you'll find out why.**

**So now that we got these formalities out of the way, let's get to the story.**

**Disclaimer: I will NEVER be the owner of Avatar: The Last AirBender, for it belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. I DO, however, own Aratak and Shun, but Ziron and Ataki belong to Jade's One Of A Kind and Crazy Cowgirl Cassie. And about some of the dogs on there, I don't really own them either; they're like the dogs from Balto and White Fang.**

**Uploading Date: August 26, 2013**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**The Dog Fight**_

Warm early sunlight shone onto Aratak as the hermaphrodite woman woke up, blinking sleep from her eyes. She remembered all that she and Katara had done the night before, yet she didn't regret it at all. Aratak also felt exhausted from all the mating they had done and rolled over a bit...only to feel her cheek brush against something soft and warm. When she looked up, she took in the sight that kept her there and made her feel warm in the face.

Katara was just beside her. The beautiful pregnant WaterBender was dozing serenely in the soft bed, blankets covering her up to her swollen belly. Aratak blushed even more and planted a kiss on her cheek to wake her up, but she didn't stir; she just dozed on. With a smirk, she went down further and lightly kissed her stomach, feeling the baby start to move; Katara still didn't wake up, but she did murmur something she couldn't hear.

_And she's the one to call Aang a heavy sleeper, _Aratak thought in amusement. _Still, she needs to wake up...and I know just how to do that._

So she moved back up to Katara and noticed some white liquid drip from her left nipple, making her smile at what she was going to do. Aratak leaned down to lick up the milk and trailed her tongue from under her breast up to the nipple itself, licking it and around the areola and finally taking it into her mouth. Once she started sucking and tasting her milk again, she felt like she wanted to stay like this for a pretty long while.

"Mmm...this feels nice..." Katara was groaning in her sleep as Aratak continued sucking on her teat. "Please...suck some more..."

Aratak had just pulled back to release her teat when she felt her knee brush against something warm and wet. Feeling her cheek burn warmer and redder, she realized that Katara must have gotten aroused and gone into heat again. Therefore, she moved down until she was crouching before her and gently pushed two fingers into her vagina. She moved her fingers around, hearing her WaterBending mate groan in her sleep, and Aratak knew it was time to mate again.

Her manhood had grown rigid again, so she moved forward until it was fully held in place by Katara's vaginal walls, attaching them together. Once Aratak was fully inside her, she leaned up to pin her arms to the bed while she began thrusting into her. The chieftain panted while keeping up the pace, her slender body brushing against her swollen abdomen. She held onto one of her thighs with one hand while squeezing her own breasts at the same time, littering her luscious body with milk.

"Good...morning, Aratak..."

Startled, Aratak stopped thrusting and looked down. Katara had fully woken up now, tiredness in her blue eyes, yet she was still smiling up at her.

"Good morning...to you too," Aratak rasped back as she tried to lean down to kiss her. "I can't reach you...Katara...your stomach's in the way..."

Katara panted a bit, "Do it from the side...and keep fucking me...I'm going to cum soon..."

So Aratak laid down by her side and kissed her while thrusting...but since she moved to kiss her, she had slid out of her. She felt her penis brush against the underside of Katara's belly, keeping her arms wrapped around her while thrusting. As the two women kissed, Katara hummed and moaned into Aratak's mouth, and the latter increased more of the excitement by reaching her hand down and rubbing her womanhood again.

"More, Aratak, more...hump me more..." Katara moaned, nuzzling her head against Aratak's neck. "Keep doing it...ahh..."

Aratak panted, "I am...I'm fixing to cum..."

But just then... "Anyone in there?"

Aratak gasped and looked up...that, and she gasped from coming onto her lover's stomach. That was Aang's voice, which made her feel a bit less worried; he, Katara, and Aratak were all in a secret relationship together, so if Aang interrupted them, then it was fine.

But the next voice made her nervous: "Hey, what's that smell? It smells kinda funky."

"Like how, Toph?" Aang's voice asked, and Aratak heard a slight bit of panic in his tone.

"It's like a mix of milk and other stuff," Toph replied. "Being blind heightens your other senses good as well."

Aratak blushed at the thought of Toph seeing her and Katara mating...but then she cursed herself for thinking that. Toph was blind and couldn't see them at all, but her other senses were indeed very strong. Still...it would be very awkward of the two of them to reveal their secret relationship to the blind MetalBender. She was starting to get up from the bed and go to the master bathroom to clean up when Katara held her back by holding her arm.

"Don't worry, Aratak. I can handle this...help me get me out of bed first," she whispered into her ear. When the chieftain hoisted her up out of bed, Katara called to the door, "Good morning, Aang! And you, Toph! I gotta get showered before we...I mean, I...get some breakfast!"

There was silence. Then Toph said, "I know you're lying, Sugar Queen. I bet you and Aratak were screwing around with each other."

That made Aratak gasp and Katara sigh; it appeared that they couldn't hide this from the MetalBender. Finally, Aratak said, "You're right. We DID have sex last night."

"Hey, don't worry," Toph said dismissively. "I won't be as severe as Sokka about this kind of stuff, so I'll keep this a secret. But don't go telling everyone about it. And in return..." She then turned her voice to Aang. "Wait a minute. Do you know anything about this, Twinkletoes?"

"Yes," Aang told her with a weary sigh. "Katara, Aratak, and I are in a secret relationship together. Even though Katara's my wife and I love her with all my heart, we love Aratak. So PLEASE don't mention any of this to Sokka."

Toph remarked, "So that's why I felt your heart beating when you're around those two. But don't worry; I promise I won't tell Snoozles or anyone else. And in exchange for me keeping these secrets, I'd like a big breakfast when you're done showering."

Katara nodded. "It's a deal. Just let us get cleaned up first."

**...**

Two days had already passed since the investigation of the Black Spirit Gang on Air Temple Island. But since then, there had been no suspicious activity...except dogs had started prowling near the docks in the city more than usual. Balto knew that his longpaws were getting rather worried about the next attack, so he usually leapt into their bed at night to guard them. He would help Aang and Katara always, for they had adopted him ever since he was a pup.

The wolves were brought over to the mainland to join the humans on their way to the city council, but they couldn't go directly to the meeting. If they did, uproar about letting animals in the meeting would occur. So they had to spend time roaming around, but not before being fitted with collars. Balto got a blue collar that was similar to Katara's necklace, and Brutus got a red one. They didn't like the collars, but they didn't complain about it.

Now Balto was walking around the docks, sniffing around for any fish that fishers left behind. It was a rather gray day today, snow falling to the ground from the gray sky. He had never seen snow before until recently, and it was so different from the tropical island he was born on. But as if it wasn't enough, he got his first experience with bullies.

"Well, well, well," Balto heard a sneering voice behind him. It belonged to a black-&-white dog with erect ears, a curly tail, and cruel eyes, and he was surrounded by a pack of other dogs. He sneered, "Look what came into town, boys."

"What the heck is that?" a brown dog asked.

A red dog growled, "Don't know. He reminds me of a bear."

A gray mastiff dog grunted, "That's no bear, boys. That looks like a...wolf!"

The black-&-white husky stalked over towards Balto and took a deep scornful sniff before he pulled back. "Yep! It's a wolf, all right! A stinking smelly wolf!" Balto growled at the insult, but the dog went on, "Listen up, wolf! My name is Steele! You might be new around here, but let me warn you: stay away from MY restaurant!"

"Listen," Balto said, taking a step back as he tried to be polite. "I don't want to fight. I'm just here with an ally of Aang and Katara, and my dad's here, but he's walking around. They'll finish what they want to do around here, and then we'll be on our way."

"I don't care if your owner's the Avatar," Steel growled. "And I guess you didn't hear me. You're a wolf, and I said you better beat it! If you know what's good for you!"

Balto tilted his head to one side, one ear semi-pricked. "That's a problem I've had here: not knowing what's good for me."

But this was apparently the wrong thing to say. Steele's fur was bristling as he got into a battle pose, snarling, "Okay, wise mutt, that's it! You're asking for it! No one messes with Steele and gets away with it!"

This dog was beyond reasoning now. And the three dogs beside him were no better, for they were howling for wolf blood. It was time to get this fight done and over with, even if he didn't want to fight today.

"If you insist," he sighed, baring his teeth.

Steele bared his teeth just as the other dogs were barking on a storm, howling "Fight! Fight!" Balto and Steele let out a volley of loud barking before starting to circle around each other, trying to find a weak spot. If Steele wanted to have a fight, then he could have one!

As the canines circled around one another, Steele lashed out and scraped hard at Balto's face with his claws. Balto snarled at the cheap trick, so he pounced and grabbed a hold of the other dog's scruff, kicking at his flanks with his hind paws. Steele wriggled from his grasp and lunged at him, knocking him off of his paws and sinking his fangs into the fur near his neck. With a bark, Balto wrenched himself free, leaving a patch of fur in the other canine's jaws, and leapt again...but Steele leapt to the side out of his reach.

"Hey boys!" the mean dog barked. "I can't fight this guy on my own! Help me out here!"

Balto barked, "That's unfair! This is supposed to be a one-on-one fight!"

Steel snickered. "Hey, this is one perk about being pack alpha!"

He turned and barked to his packmates, who pounced on top of him. Balto head-butted the dark gray dog before slicing his claws across the face of the brown dog. But the reddish dog leapt onto his back, tearing at it with his claws, and Balto turned to try and snatch him off. Still, as he turned to tear him off, Steele leapt forth, buried his fangs into his neck, and slammed him down to the ground.

Balto sprang with a roar at Steele again, but Steele ducked until Balto was a bit above him and thrust his head up hard. The young wolf felt several teeth along his jawbone fall out, and he tasted blood as he tried to get to his paws. As he got back up, however, the other dog rammed into his side, forcing him to fall down again. The other dogs pounced on top of him, ripping and tearing at his body, and Balto had no idea how he was going to fight them off by himself.

That is, until a familiar voice roared:

"GET YOUR FILTHY PAWS OFF OF MY SON!"

At the sound of the wolf's bark, the five dogs looked up, and Balto saw their eyes widen with shock. Brutus was running forward, barking up a storm with his golden eyes ablaze with anger, and behind him were a large pack of other dogs. One of them that tackled Steele head-on had distinctive black-&-tan fur and markings around his face, the second was brown-&-white with a curly tail, the third was light brown, the fourth was black-&-brown with a short tail, and the final one was black-&-tan with floppy ears and jowls.

"I told you to stay away from young'uns like that!" the black-&-tan dog was barking as he rolled Steele to the ground, scratching his muzzle. He let him get up before nipping his hind leg with his fang, snarling, "Now get outta here!"

Steele growled something to the dogs of his pack, who nodded and quickly bolted away from the wolves and their momentary allies. He glared at Balto, snarled "This isn't over, _wolf!_", and ran off after his comrades. And as the mean dogs tried to get away, the other four dogs of the new pack ran over to bite them before sending them off.

Once the dogs were gone, the black-&-tan dog turned to Balto, mild concern in his brown eyes. "You okay, kid?"

"Yeah, you took quite a beating," the light brown dog added.

"Yeah, thanks," Balto panted in return, staggering to his feet. "No offense, though, but I'm not a kid anymore. I'm fully grown."

"Not entirely yet, son," Brutus told him, blood staining his black pelt. "You still got another year to go until you become a fully-grown wolf. Thanks again, stranger," he told the black-&-tan dog.

The dog nodded. "No problem. I'm Jerome, by the way, and these here are my packmates." He flicked his tail to each dog. "The brown-&-white dog is North, the light brown one is Robert, the black-&-brown one is Locker, and the other black-&-tan dog with the floppy ears is Heuler. We roam around these streets, fighting any bullies in our path and finding clues."

Balto tilted his head to one side, still panting. "What clues...?"

"We heard about the attack on Air Temple Island," Robert spoke up. "That Black Spirit gang sounded like they were up to no good, so we sniffed around. And so far, we haven't had any clues about them."

"But we DID see the dogs roaming around the docks far too often," Heuler added. "So we figured that they couldn't be around here just for fish."

Brutus nodded. "What else?"

North picked up a flier, the kind longpaws used to advertise longpaw stuff, and dragged it over. "The Black Spirit Gang must be calling over a rally of some sort in two more nights. So you can take this flier over to your owners and show it to them." He laid a paw on a spot on the paper and went on, "Who knows? Maybe they'll infiltrate this place and find out what's going on and what they'll be planning next."

"Maybe..." Balto murmured, swaying from the effect of his wounds. "That'd be great..."

"You okay?" Jerome asked, looking up from the chat at him.

Balto nodded, trying to stand up. "Yeah...just feeling woozy from...the wounds..." And he suddenly fell to the ground onto his side, panting from losing blood.

"Son!" Brutus yelped, rushing over to his side. Balto felt his father's tongue trying to lap the blood away as he barked, "He needs to get back to Air Temple Island! Can you help us get back there, Jerome?"

Jerome nodded. "Sure. But don't expect us to stay around longer than needed. We gotta get back to patrolling after we drop you guys off. And we might need to give them that flier."

Brutus dipped his head to the dogs. "Thank you. I've heard that dogs were really lazy and clumsy, but thanks to you, not all of them all."

Now the dogs were staring at him as if he had grown a second head and tail. Heuler lowered his voice to mutter, "Is he insulting us? I think that wolf insulted us."

"My mom always said wolves were sneaky," Locker remarked.

"That enough, Heuler and Locker," Jerome told them in a whisper. To the wolves, he said, "I'll take that as a compliment. And you're welcome."

Quickly, North and Robert began nudging the younger wolf to his paws while Brutus supported Balto's weight with his shoulders. Jerome did the same thing, and Balto was amazed to see how wolf-like he and his packmates were: working together to help a stranger and hunting. But more blood was leaking from the side of his head, and he felt his vision blur, just on the brink of falling unconscious to the ground.

And before he closed his eyes, he felt the dogs grab hold of his paws and haul him off.

**...**

Another day of AirBending training had arrived, and Aratak was willing to learn some more. She had a better day than her first day, for Genba and his girl posse were strangely absent; perhaps Aang sent them home early? But other than that, she had a good time socializing with the other members of the class. This reminded her of her island tribe, yet she also felt right at home on Air Temple Island in Republic City.

Now she was turning around in the spinning panels Aang had set up once again. This time, she was keeping up with the spinning and twirling around like a leaf in the wind. Shun was attending to Sam, who got his ankle twisted during practice, so Aratak couldn't be distracted right now.

"Light on your feet, Aratak! You're doing great!" Aang called. She made it out of the panels and stood before the Avatar as Aang praised her, "You did well this time, Aratak. You're the fifth person today who could get through the panels calmly, and that makes it half of the people who made it through. Once your training's done, you'll be a great AirBender...like me," he added with a slightly smug tone.

"No need to be smug about it, Aang." Everyone turned to see Katara look over at the class, waddling her way to the docks with an amused look on her face. "Aratak could be just as good of an AirBender as you one day."

This made Aang chuckle in embarrassment. "Sorry, Katara. I'll remember next time." As his wife rolled her eyes before waddling away, he turned back to the class and said, "Tonight, those who didn't pass through the training today study on the pattern flow of the spinning panel. And those who did good can practice air blasts."

"So are we dismissed?" the fat girl named Chiong asked.

"Yep," came the reply. "Just remember about your work for tonight. Now enjoy the rest of your day. Until tomorrow, everyone, may the air lift your spirits."

"Until next time," the students resounded before splitting off in different directions.

Once everyone had gone away, Aang turned to Aratak, asking, "Was today's training great?"

Aratak nodded. "Yeah. Especially since Genba and his friends didn't come over. Did you send them home already?"

"No," Aang said with a confused look on his face. "I didn't send them home. I guess they got sick or something."

"Maybe," Aratak added with a shrug. She looked around to make sure no one was looking before looking back at Aang. "So now that the class is over for the day...you wanna make out?"

Aang smiled as he started to lean in towards her. Aratak was fixing to do the same thing...until a distressed voice in the air stopped them.

"Oh spirits, BALTO!"

At Katara's shout, Aratak and Aang looked up, their good time gone, and rushed out of the training area and towards the dock. Behind them, Shun and Ziron were going after them after heading out of the temple. But when they made it down to the docks, Aratak felt her mind jolt with shock and horror at what she saw.

Katara was staring in shock at Balto lying still in Sokka's arms, his brownish pelt totally covered in blood and his eyes closed. Brutus and four battle-scarred dogs were standing around the Water Tribe warrior; Aratak knew these animals were dogs due to seeing some the other day. At first, she thought the dogs had attacked Balto, but there was no blood around their muzzles or paws.

"How did this happen?" Aang asked. "Did those dogs attack him?"

"No, doesn't look like it," Sokka answered. "They don't have any blood on them. But look at what they got here."

"Another paper?" Katara asked.

Sokka nodded. "But it's more than that. I only saw parts of it, but I think I know what it is."

Aratak watched on as Katara's brother pulled a paper out of Balto's jaws. It was a flier, another flier about the Black Spirit Gang.

_**To be continued...**_

**...**

**AvatarCat13: Cliffhanger (sorry about that)! And I hope you liked this chapter, because if you don't, I'll fix it. And since I hadn't uploaded lately, I apologize for that. I've had a lot of fun with my new Nintendo 3Ds, and it's really exciting. I finally got PokéDex 3D Pro, and it's been great seeing all 649 Pokémon.**

**About the next chapter, I've been debating on what to put there. Either it'll be about Team Avatar trying to find out what the evil group is up to...or maybe something about the love triangle. It might end up being something bad, and I don't mean it in a dirty way. But it's for me to know...and for you guys to see soon what it'll be. One more thing: the small pack of dogs that helped the wolves are a tribute to Ginga Densetsu Weed, when Jerome and his pack hunt down Kaibutsu.**

**So read and review, everyone! Those who do will get virtual figurines of any Pokémon you like, whether they come in twos or threes. Remember that flames are not allowed or else they'll be put out, but I DO allow advice, questions of any kind, and constructive criticism. As long as it's not harsh, of course.**

**See ya next time!**


	11. The Black Spirit Rally

**AvatarCat13: Hey, everyone, and welcome to the newest chapter for Kataang Island Adventure 2! I hope you're ready for this, because this is when stuff gets a bit darker. It's not gonna be any horror stuff, but the Black Spirit Gang is gonna start doing bad things. And I hope you're prepared for this.**

**The Black Spirit Gang will be the forerunners of the Equalists from The Legend Of Korra. How far they'll go to be as bad as them, however...that, you'll have to see for yourselves. And this story isn't only a sequel to Kataang Island Adventure. It's also a shout out to these people: Light Eco Sage, MasterFirebender84, and FrodoTheHutt. They have made cool stories like Book 4: Air and Duty V.S. Love, and I recommend them for reading.**

**But other than that, I got a Nintendo 3Ds a few weeks ago! Now let's get on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: Just remember that I don't own Avatar: The Last AirBender, its characters, or its locations. They belong to Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. I DO, however, own Aratak, Shun, and the Black Spirit Gang, but Ataki and Ziron belong to Cassie and Jade. And a character from my story WaterBender's Giant Adventure will appear, but the character he is based on...I don't own that character!  
**

**Uploading Date: September 9, 2013**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**The Black Spirit Rally**_

"Lay him out carefully over here...there, that's good. On those blankets."

They had brought Balto into the eating hall where the Air Acolytes, and Shun directed them to where they would lay the wolf. Shun had suggested setting him in this room because they could bring food over to him easily. Aratak was starting to regret letting Aang and Katara bring a wolf with them back to the city; she had heard from Sokka that dogs didn't like wolves unless if one of them was in heat.

Once Balto was set down, Katara (who was dressed in yellow maternity robes) got down to her knees and opened the WaterBending pouch she always carried with her. She Bended the water from inside out of it, let it glow over her hands, and spread it out over her wolf's grayish brown fur. Balto winced a bit from the mild sting the healing brought, but he let out a wolfish sigh and laid his head back onto the blanket. The blood was being washed away, and the wounds were glowing a bit before they faded.

"Wow...I didn't know you could heal wounds like that," Shun gasped in surprise.

"This is only part of it," Katara explained. "I can only keep the wounds in check, but there's a chance that they'll reopen."

Shun nodded. "And that's where the herbs come in, right?"

Katara nodded back before looking at her brother, who placed a bowl of seal meat stuffed with Shun's herbs before the injured wolf. "Sokka, thank you so much for bringing Balto back. He would've died out there in the city."

"I only carried him here," Sokka reminded her. "It's those dogs who brought him back. And they brought this with them."

Aratak looked at the piece of paper sitting on the dining table. She got up from beside Balto and took it into her hand, looking down at it. It read "Tired of living under the Avatar's rule? Come to the Gathering, where the Black Spirits will commerce...'"

Sokka looked up now. "Do they have refreshments there?"

"Refreshments?" Aratak asked. "What are those?"

"You know...snacks and stuff," Sokka replied a bit sheepishly. "Just in case one of us who goes there gets hungry."

Toph rolled her eyes. "You always ask that about meetings. You're like a bottomless pit!"

Sokka glared at her in mock indignation. "Hey, a chief-to-be's gotta eat!"

"Anyways, it doesn't say anything about refreshments," Aratak read on, waving off the arguing. "But it does say that they're inducting new recruits into their gang. Then after that..." What she saw next made her blood chill. "...they're going to have an execution."

"An execution?" Aang asked sharply. "Why would they want to murder someone?"

"Who knows? That's why the rally's taking place," Katara reasoned. "Are you going to go?"

Aang shrugged. "I guess I have to. I'm the Avatar, and I gotta try and find a way to put a stop to the Black Spirits Gang. But I don't want to go alone," he added, looking around at the gathering people. "I want a few people to come along with me so they can also see what they're up to. So who wants to come along?"

No one spoke, and even Aratak felt very troubled about the Black Spirit rally. She had never seen anyone get executed before, and quite frankly, she didn't want to see it. But Aang or Katara could be in danger again from being attacked by these thugs...and worse could happen if she didn't know what was going on. Now she knew what to say.

"Count me in," she spoke up, looking at Aang and Katara. "If you guys are in danger, then I want to find out how to help you."

"Count me in too," Sokka added with a determined glare in his eye. "No one's gonna hurt my little sister while me and Aang are around. Ziron and Ataki can't come along, though: they're off visiting General Izan."

Aang nodded in gratitude. "Thanks, you two. Anyone else wanna come along?"

"Sorry, but count me out," Toph said with a shrug. "I gotta head back to my headquarters. I haven't been back there in a few nights. But hey," she added when Aang was about to insist. "If we get to patrol around that area, then we'll help keep a lookout."

"Thanks, Sifu Toph," Aang replied, bowing to her. Then he looked around at Katara and said, "You shouldn't really come anyways. In your condition-"

Katara gave him a resolute blue glare. "Are you saying that just because I'm pregnant? I've told you before, I'm NOT helpless. I'm just carrying your child in me, that's all."

Aang sighed, walked over, and rested his hands on her shoulders. "Listen...I _know_ you can take care of yourself, sweetheart. I think I've told you that before. It's just...well...I just don't want to lose you and the baby to them. You've heard what that gang had said through those fliers: they've already targeted our child even before he or she is born. So please, Katara...stay here."

Hearing those words, Aratak hung her head. This was almost what she told Nanuk hours before she and their baby died, to make sure she was okay. But hours after they had spoken to each other, Aratak had found her body in a puddle of her own blood at the foot of the mountain. She had blamed Sharpclaw for the accident, but a vision from the eyes of the raptor had cleared her mind; Nanuk had died from a climbing accident.

But what would Katara say at being kept here? Would the same thing that happened to Nanuk happen to her? She looked back at the Water Tribe woman, who was glaring at Aang's pleading face, and Aratak wondered what would happen next. Her face was softening, though she still had the slightly defiant look.

Finally, Katara sighed and muttered, "Okay...I'll stay here for the baby's safety. But please be careful out there, Pupil Aang. And be sure to use the WaterBending moves I taught you," she added as she pulled a plate of food over towards her.

"I will, Sifu Katara," Aang said with a small smile, resting a hand on her stomach as she did the same. To Sokka, he asked, "Should we take Appa?"

"That won't be a good idea," Sokka replied with a shake of his head. "They'll know he's a bison, and they'll even recognize that arrow on his head!"

Aang chuckled a bit before looking out the window to Appa, whom Sokka had borrowed for the day. "Sokka's still jealous of not having an arrow, buddy!"

The bison let out a growl, making Sokka mutter, "Ha ha, I forgot how to laugh. But what I'm saying is that they'll know that Appa's YOUR bison, Aang. What you CAN do is let him take us to Suki since she's coming with us to the rally and then fly off as quick as he can. But DON'T forget that whistle."

"But if Aang forgets, we can take mine," Aratak spoke up. When Sokka and Toph gave her wide-eyed looks, she went on, "Aang gave me his when he and Katara stayed with our tribe. So we got this plan two steps ahead."

Toph nodded and said, "That sounds like a plan, Twinkletoes Two."

"So we're all set?" Aang asked, looking around. Everyone nodded, so he said, "Good. Zhan and Wakino, help the Acolytes keep an eye on Katara and the temple. We've got a rally to go to."

Both Acolytes nodded and headed off into the living room to clean up some more.

"So we're all set, Team Avatar!" Sokka announced. In a more serious tone, he added, "Now let's get to that rally."

**...**

At sunset, they began heading out to go see the bison. The caves where the bison were sleeping at were on a shore near the docks, due to seeing some of the large animals flying out of there. Some were already out and flying around, while others lazed around in the caves. Some bison they brought along were even pregnant, awaiting for the day they would give birth to their litter of many offspring.

So far, though, Appa was the only one to not go into a cave. Aratak was sure that bison loved sleeping in caves, but apparently, not all of them do. When they loaded this bison up, Appa appeared to be lively again and let them get on board, them using his tail as a ramp. Aang gave the command for Appa to go, calling "Yip yip!", and they were already lifting off. As they took off, Aratak looked down and noticed Katara and Shun looking up to them, worry in their blue and brown eyes. She wanted to assure them that they would be okay, but that would only increase their worry for the others.

They took off, and Aratak took the time to look around at the disguises everyone was wearing. Aang was wearing black-&-red Fire Nation clothing, his entire head covered in a hat to hide the arrows. Sokka and Toph were wearing the same clothing but with more red, and she remembered Aang and Katara telling her about going through the Fire Nation. That could explain why she was wearing the red outfit, the middle cut out so that it exposed her stomach. It made her miss being a nudist much more.

Just as they landed on the shore and Appa took off, they heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Over here!"

They looked to the side. Suki was there, looking different without the Kyoshi warrior outfit and face paint. She was wearing ragged brown clothing, and Aratak guessed she was in disguise too. Next to her was the owner of the unfamiliar voice: a young man with black-&-purple robes, short black hair, and brown eyes.

"Miroku!" Aang greeted him, holding out a hand. "What're you doing here?"

Miroku accepted his hand and shook it. "Good to see you too, Avatar Aang. And everyone else too...and I see someone new in the group," he added, giving Aratak a sly grin.

Aang chuckled with embarrassment. "Sorry. Miroku, this is Aratak, the chieftain of the island tribe we visited. And Aratak, this is Miroku, the guy who gave Katara the growth potion but also gave her the cure for it. He joined our group after all that, so he's now our eyes and ears in the shadiest places."

"Well, it's nice to meet you," Miroku said, stepping forward to shake her hand. "So tell me more about yourself."

"Only Team Avatar knows about this, and don't tell anyone else," Aratak whispered. Ignoring the warning looks she was getting from the others, she said, "I'm a hermaphrodite."

Miroku's brown eyes widened a bit before relaxing. "That's really nice. I've just never seen a hermaphrodite woman so beautiful before...in fact, I've never met a hermaphrodite before."

Aratak blushed at what he said...and blushed even more when she felt a hand grope at her behind. This made her feel uncomfortable; only Aang and Katara were allowed to do that. Before things got farther than that, though, Sokka walked over and smacked the young man upside the head with a hefty hand.

"Don't ask it," he said, glaring over at Aang. "Don't you even say it."

"You know I'm not," Aang said, holding up his hands in mock defeat.

"I'll ask it: was that really necessary?" Suki spoke up, looking at Sokka with half amusement and half firmness.

Her boyfriend glared indignantly at her, mumbled something, and then asked, "Now how about we go already? The rally's gonna start soon."

It was true, Aratak realized. The sun was already starting to disappear over the bay.

They walked down the road, where a few people were up and heading in the same direction as they were. Aratak supposed that these people were called to the rally, and Toph had said that it would take place at the Dragon Flats this night. She saw that these people were wearing different kinds of clothing like they, so they could blend in well with the crowd. It was like a chameleon parrot blending in with the leaves around it.

Once they rounded around a corner, they saw a large man guarding a doorway, dressed in black robes and scowling around. He was accepting invitations from the other people, and Aratak felt worried at that. What if they didn't have an invite?

"This is a private event," he growled as they got near. "No invite, no event for you."

"An invite?" Aang asked. "No one said anything about invites!"

Sokka gave him a nudge and whispered something to him that Aratak couldn't hear. He dug into his pocket and fished out the flier, handing it to the man and asked, "Does this count?"

The man glared down at the flier and looked back up at them. "This isn't the invite, and I don't recognize any of you..." he growled. "...but I guess you DO know much about our gang and its cause and respect it. So come right in."

Aang grinned. "Thanks!"

The large bodyguard stepped aside to let them pass, though he paused to stare awkwardly at their backs. Aratak didn't know what he was looking at, but then she saw it: a bit of Aang's arrow was sticking out from the back. She was afraid that the man was either going to attack or report them, so she kept looking back. To her relief, though, he shrugged and turned back to the line of people outside, arms folded as he accepted invitations.

Once inside, the five people went inside and looked around. It was mostly dark, and rusty tools took up much of the initial space. However, as the infiltrators moved deeper into the building, they emerged on something that looked like a catwalk and looked out over the railing. There were many people gathering around, not the entire city but still plenty enough.

"I knew people hated the Avatar...but I never thought there'd be that much!" Sokka whispered. "Besides the Fire Nation years ago."

"We better go take a seat down there," Miroku suggested. "We'll have to sit up close to see what they're planning."

So they made their way down and into the thick of the crowd just as the candlelight above their heads began to lower. Everyone stopped talking right away and looked to the stage as if waiting for a sign. Aratak had shrunk back from seeing the light dim, but thanks to Aang, Sokka, Suki, and Miroku being around her, she felt a bit better. She hadn't seen that many lights before, and even candle lights were sometimes seen around her tribe's village, but she had never seen any work like that on their own.

Just then, a whisper rang out through the crowd, and Team Avatar looked up. Approaching them on a stage was a man cloaked in a very dark black cloak. He looked as if he was wearing the skin or cloak of a demon around him. He had a lean chiseled face, white hair even though he was around his twenties or thirties, and one red eye and one golden eye. In one hand was a hat which supposedly came with the cloak, and in the other, he held a staff with an eye-like jewel. Flanked on either side of him were two dogs: one that was black-&-white and almost wolf-like, and one with black-&-tan fur and a blunt muzzle.

"Welcome, my comrades, to the Black Spirit Gang," the man said in a strong voice that held a hiss inside. "I am Shen, your leader and guide, a father of sorts. I am sure my soldiers have told you about what we are fighting for. We are fighting against the Avatar, and I will tell you why with a story.

"Back when Ozai's pupil Nanulak was among us, my family had lived a wealthy life. A life of wealth thanks to Nanulak providing us with stolen money. We had lived well, and we didn't care what others thought of the crimes. But then, Nanulak was thrown into prison, and do you know why?" When no one answered, he hissed in a deadly snake-like voice, "Well? _Do you_?"

"Because his head's not screwed on straight," Suki muttered to Sokka, who nodded back.

"Because of the Avatar!" a familiar jeering voice piped up. Aratak saw Aang's face light up with shock, and she followed his gaze to see Genba among the crowd at the front.

Shen pointed at Genba vigorously, his sinister face alive with malice. "Yes! That is completely correct, young man! It's because of the Avatar that we live in squalor and despair! He had given all these speeches of how the four nations should stay together and how the strong and the weak survive together! That is FALSE! He is a failure if he believes in such nonsense!"

Aratak felt a snarl curl on her lips as she heard this. How dare this man blame Aang for whatever went wrong with them! But before she could say anything, Shen was speaking again.

"The Avatar is WRONG when it comes to his speeches!" he roared. "The strong will conquer the weak, and only they...and we...will survive. Saying the opposite is just another way of showing weakness! We will strive to force the nations back apart, and we shall then kill the Avatar! But just before we do that..." He lowered his voice so he was no longer shouting angrily, "...we must capture his Water Tribe wife and kill that spirits-forbidden spawn of the Avatar inside her! That is why we are giving a gang initiation for the people who will help us in this task! Genba, step forth. You and your friends."

Genba stepped forth, but Aratak was already in shock of what she had heard. They were planning on destroying Aang...by killing Katara and their baby. She wanted to run to the stage and punch Shen hard in the face, but that would risk her identity and reveal the mission. So she sat down and watched how Aang would react to the news.

Now she wished she didn't see his reaction. The Avatar was looking up at the stage, fear and shock on his face. His fear was for Katara and her unborn baby instead of himself, and Aratak felt the same shock as he. What would happen if they succeeded in killing the Avatar's wife and child? What would Aang do if that happened?

But Shen was going on, "Bring out the prisoner! He must be brought forward for the initiation of Genba and his followers into our cause!"

Just then, a part of the wall crumbled away to reveal two Benders grabbing a struggling man in their arms. They dragged him through the hole, ignoring his shouts of "I'm innocent, I tell you! You can't do this to me!", and kicked him down so that he was kneeling in front of Shen. Aratak knew that she would never have done that to someone who was captured by her Tribemates. She would have asked a "prisoner" about themselves before letting them into her village briefly.

But then...she recognized the Benders who brought the man in: Rio and Uiara. These two were always against her no matter what she had done in leading the Tribe, saying that they could do it better. And they were the ones who fought Aang and Katara when they arrived at the village. After they blamed her for letting Sharpclaw run around loose, they left the island, never to be heard from again...until now. Why they were here, she would never know.

"Well, well, well," Shen chuckled softly, staring down at the man. "You're the one who sells Bending equipment to all sorts of Benders, aren't you? And it looks like you're a merchant from the Fire Nation. Shouldn't you sell that equipment only to _FireBenders_?"

"But...this is Republic City..." the man whimpered as he trembled before them. "It's where...all Benders live together..."

But Shen pulled out a knife made of Bended ice and slashed at his face with it. "Do not say it here, where my comrades can hear you, whelp! Now stay here and take your final punishment like a _man_." To Genba, he said, "Now he's about to learn his final lesson: no one mentions the Avatar's goals and stick with it. Here, you abide to my rules, or the punishment will be quick and severe. And to those who challenge what I am trying to teach here, they will face even greater consequences. Take this knife and ram it into his neck."

He tossed the ice knife over to Genba, who stared down at the knife with some sort of fervor. But the girls who were behind him were now looking nervous and queasy, and one of them even made a run for it back through the crowd. Aratak herself was backing away only to feel an arm on her shoulder and looked back; the normally perverted Miroku was giving her a serious look as if to tell her to brave it out. So she looked back in time to see Genba stalking towards the already-shaking man, red-pointed knife all the way into the air.

And just then...he struck. Instead of striking his neck as instructed, though, he stuck it hard into the roof of his head, making him stop trembling. Aratak felt herself gag and already saw Aang head over to a trash can, and this made her want to throw up too. But she looked back and saw the man slouch forward, tears of blood trickling down from his eyes, and he finally fell to the ground, dead. Shen reached down and pulled the knife from his head, and the entire blade was totally covered in blood.

"Well...I didn't say to stick it into his head," Shen told him after a minute of silence. "But still, you have done as I told you and taught him a final lesson. I hereby give my blessing for you and...your...friends? I don't see them here."

"What?!" Aratak had noticed the girl posse flee at the sight of Genba slaying the defenseless man. "It doesn't matter! I'm with your gang now, right?"

Shen nodded. "Yes indeed, boy. I welcome you into the gang with arms wide open. Oh, and just in case someone wants to NOT believe this...you!" To Rio and Uiara, he growled, "Take him to the hackers so they can cut his body into pieces. They will know that the Black Spirit Gang has risen from the shadows like a phoenix."

"Yes sir," they said. Aratak was shocked to hear them sound even tougher and harsher than back on the island.

"And as for the rest of you..." Shen turned to the crowd and called, "Let that be a lesson to you and learn from this. If you follow what the Avatar says, then it is a sign of weakness! There is no room for weakness in this group. Only the strong and ruthless survive, and we will work hard on destroying the Avatar and his family and force the nations back apart! Until next time, comrades, and come up with new ideas for these ideals."

"And may our enemies perish!"

Shen nodded with a cruel smile, revealing snake-like fangs. "Good. Dismissed!"

That left Aratak stunned beyond belief at what she had heard while they all walked past her. Shen had twisted Aang's usual Air Nomad farewell into promises to destroy the Avatar. And this is what they had been planning to do all this time: ambushing them in private and then taking their lives while at their mercy.

Was there any hope left besides the Avatar?

**...**

Once they made it back to Air Temple Island, Appa went off back to the bison caves. Miroku and Suki had decided to spend the night on the island and help guard the place; the former said that he was a former monk and had been trained in combat. Aratak was feeling tired after the rally, but she was also a bit too frightened to go to sleep.

What she had seen at the rally had chilled her to the bone. She had never seen anything like this back on her island, where there was peace and harmony except if a predator or disaster struck. But all this murder...this was very unheard of to her. At least when Sharpclaw had attacked the tribe, he had done it to feed his starving family. But what Shen was doing was plain sadistic. She knew someone had to step up and stop this man before he could harm any more innocent people.

They all headed back towards the main house on the island, Brutus and Momo greeting them at the doorway. Aratak only reached down to ruffle her wolf's head before heading on, paying no attention to Brutus' slightly baffled look. She was a bit too tired to eat or drink, but she knew they had to share this news with Katara.

"Did you find out anything at the rally?" said WaterBender asked them after they came in and greeted her. She was in some yellow Air Nomad robes, crouching near Balto on a sofa and tending more to his wounds.

"Yeah. We had a right to be suspicious of Genba," Sokka informed her. "He's a new member of the Black Spirit Gang. Should we get him off of the island?"

Aang shook his head. "No, not right away. If he does something very dangerous or related to the Black Spirit Gang, then we'll have to remove him from Air Temple Island."

Katara nodded before looking over at the one person who hadn't greeted her. "Aratak? Is something wrong?"

Aratak nodded, looking away. Now she felt even more vulnerable while she was away from the island. Plus, Ziron and Ataki could also get attacked by Shen if they came back from their visit to the Fire Nation. She did not want them to be put in danger because of her decision to come into civilization, but she didn't want to keep this a secret either.

"Yes, there's something wrong," she blurted out. "Ataki could also be in danger. She and I have AirBenders and FireBenders among our ancestry, and Shen could find that out. And then she'll be in danger like you are. Now..." She turned away, muttering, "This was all a stupid mistake. I shouldn't have come here to the city."

"But if you didn't come to the city, who knows what would've happened?" Suki spoke up. "If you and your friends hadn't shown up, much more of this island would've been destroyed. Almost all of the Acolytes here thank you for that."

Sokka reached over and gently rested a hand on Aratak's shoulder. "That, and you've been a really good friend to Aang and Katara. So don't you go blaming yourself for putting your sister or my sister or anyone else in danger...and that includes you, Aang," he added sternly when Aang was about to speak up. "That Black Spirit Gang will get what's coming to them for threatening our family."

Aratak could only nod drowsily. "I know...can I go to bed now? I'm tired after today."

"Sure. Plus, we need to find a way on how to repel that gang," Aang said. After Katara leaned up to whisper something into his ear, he added, "You can also join Katara in learning to heal with WaterBending. She's got her own WaterBending class, and she divides it into fighting and healing."

"Wait, how can she, an AirBender, learn to heal with WaterBending?" Miroku asked. "I thought only you can do something like that, Aang."

While Aang and Katara explained to the dealer and everyone else, Aratak headed upstairs to her room with Brutus behind her. She felt too tired and cold after the rally and its disturbing rituals, not to mention that her own former Tribemates were now their soldiers. Forgetting to take off her disguise, she fell back into the blankets and closed her eyes, feeling Brutus leap up onto the bed beside her and push his nose against her hand.

Aratak leaned down and held her wolf close to her, feeling like she was a child again. It was like when she cuddled up to Brutus' grandmother, feeling her soft red-&-white fur settle her down to sleep. But her mind was really full, which would make sleep even harder.

_**To be continued...**_

**...**

**AvatarCat13: Well, this chapter is done! I don't really like writing gore, just violence with some blood and broken legs or arms. But other than that, it's fine. If there's anything that is out of character, tell me, and I'll fix it...which brings me to a point.**

**A recent review in the first Kataang Island Adventure story (but I will NOT say who it is) said that they didn't like the three-way relationship between Aang, Katara, and Aratak and that they were a true Kataang fan. That, and they said that Aang was out of character. I just want to say that the three-way relationship will NOT last forever (it'll be back to normal Kataang after this), and I try my best to match their characters...despite it not being my best.**

**But if anyone else hates it that much, I can stop this story...and I don't want to do that.**

**I'm sorry I went overboard there, so please...read and review. Anyone who reviews this chapter can...either tell the idea of the next chapter**

**See ya next time!**


	12. Betrayal

**AvatarCat13: Hey there, everyone, and welcome back to the newest chapter for Aratak's Journey! And boy, do I have some news for you. The first is that I'm in Pennsylvania now, and I'm gonna look for a job up here and enjoy myself. That, and I'll try my best to upload my stories and work on Dog Island.**

**And here's another thing. I didn't actually see when Legend Of Korra Book 2 premiered, but I saw it online! It got taken down from YouTube eventually, BUT I'M HAPPY! 'Cause I found another website where I can actually see new episodes. Speaking of which, I hope you all enjoyed the premiere of Book 2 Spirits. This series is getting to be just as good as its predecessor, let me tell you.**

**One more thing: some OOC-ness is coming up, but it won't last long. IT WON'T LAST LONG. I read some bashing stories, but I don't like too much bashing. So now that this is out of the way, let's get on with the disclaimer.**

**Disclaimer: This series will never belong to me; it and its characters belong to Bryke. I only own Aratak, Shun, the wolves, and the Black Spirit Gang. Crazy Cowgirl Cassie has Ataki, and Jade has Ziron and General Izan.**

**Uploading Date: September 24, 2013**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**Betrayal**_

The morning after the Black Spirit rally, Aratak felt a bit better after her night's sleep as she continued her AirBending training. Of course she was still upset about what Shen and the other members of the Black Spirit Gang had done, but there was no time to worry about it now. The time to face against them would arrive in the future, but there was also time for other stuff. Like being there for Katara's private classes: healing with WaterBending and WaterBending itself.

Noticing of how she still had her disguise on from last night, Aratak took some freshly-cleaned Air Nomad robes and headed to the showers. She made it rather quick, though, for people could be waiting for a turn with the shower. Aratak finished with her shower, dressed up in her robes, and headed downstairs with Brutus behind her. With mild disappointment, she saw that Aang wasn't there, but Katara was already cleaning up the main table along with Shun.

"Morning, Aratak," Katara said, turning around. "Shun here wanted to see you. She was worried about you last night."

"Good morning to you too," Aratak replied back. "And good morning, Shun."

To her surprise, Shun looked up from her cleaning, walked over to Aratak, and embraced her as much as she could. This made the hermaphrodite woman feel her cheeks burn as the feeling of the healer's warm slender body pressing against hers. It was unexpected, yet somehow...it felt so right. Shun had hugged her plenty of times before, but this...this she liked.

"Good morning, Aratak," Shun said as she released her chief. "Sorry I went a bit far there. I was just worried about you last night."

Katara nodded. "She was. The first thing she asked after you went to bed was 'Is Aratak okay?' It's nice that she cares about you."

Aratak looked at her in surprise before looking back at Shun. "Well...thank you for thinking that. And yes, I'm feeling a lot better after last night...but Katara?" She turned back to the pregnant Water Tribe woman as Shun let go of her. "You've heard that you and your baby are in a lot more danger now, right? How would you handle that?"

"Well..." Katara had a look of worry for a brief time before calming down. "...we've fought the Fire Nation before when they were trying to take over the world. And it might be the same...even if this group might not be as powerful as Ozai was."

"But forcing the nations to split back up...that sounds more powerful than Ozai," Shun spoke up. "I mean...I don't think Ozai was focused on attacking pregnant women. He was just interested in world domination."

Katara looked at her in mild surprise before saying, "You've got a point there."

Aratak nodded in agreement. "Yeah. That's why we need to prepare...in case they try to attack."

Just then, there was a clang, and a wooden bowl fell from the table and to the ground. Katara tried reaching it, but thanks to her current condition, she couldn't reach down all the way. Aratak knew that her pregnancy was drawing to a close with each passing day, so she could give birth at any given time.

"Can someone get that bowl for me?" Katara asked with a grunt, panting as she straightened up. "I'd reach it if I could...but I think my belly got too big for this," she added with a giggle, laying a hand on her swollen stomach for emphasis.

"Speaking of which..." Shun spoke up with curiosity. "...isn't it time soon for the baby to come?"

Katara nodded. "Around this time, I should be giving birth, but I don't feel anything yet. I can't feel any contractions, and my water hasn't broken. And I've been gaining the right amount of weight during the pregnancy. Still...can someone get that bowl for me?"

Aratak nodded and reached down to grab the bowl...just as she felt a soft hand touch hers. She looked up and blushed when she looked into Shun's beautiful face and warm brown eyes. A bright red came across both their cheeks as they straightened up and looked into each other's faces, unable to tear their gazes away from each other. Trying to hard the new feeling of love she felt towards her own healer, she released the bowl.

"Sorry about that," Aratak muttered. "I didn't watch who was in front of me."

"It's fine," Shun told her in return despite the furious blush on her cheeks. "And I'm sorry for not watching either."

Aratak nodded back before looking over at Katara. "Is it okay if I take that WaterBending class later tonight? I need to get out for a while."

"Sure," Katara replied with a small nod. "Let me know later."

Yet as Aratak walked out of the house with Brutus behind her, she saw the Water Tribe woman watch her go with an understanding smile on her face. She wondered about that scene with her dropping the bowl...and how she and Shun reached for it at the same time. Did Katara drop the bowl on purpose...or by accident? Did she know of the feelings the island women were feeling for each other at the moment? But she wanted to forget about that and focus on this new day.

Finally, she made it outside and looked around for the meditation pavilion, searching for Aang. Aratak could have sworn that she smelled the scent of moon peaches and guessed that the Avatar must have taken a shower recently, so she followed the trail until she made it to the pavilion. There he was, sitting next to Momo, who was sitting beside him and eating moon peaches.

"Good morning, Aratak," Aang greeted her with a smile as he looked around at her. "What's up? I thought you'd be doing WaterBending training with Katara."

"I was, but I wanted fresh air for now," Aratak replied. "Want some company? I wanted to tell you something anyways."

Aang nodded, though his smile faded a bit. "Sure."

So the Amaroo chieftain walked over next to Aang and sat next to him, legs crossed over each other until it was like she was meditating. Apparently, Momo seemed to realize what was going on and leapt away until he joined the other lemurs in the trees. Being close to Aang made Aratak feel safe...but also worried about what the Black Spirit Gang would do.

"Aang?" Aratak asked. "What's going to happen? After the rally, I mean?"

"I...don't know..." Aang's smile had completely faded away now. "I know Toph, Zuko, and the others can help out...but what if there's more of them than what we saw at the rally? Republic City won't survive if they win."

Aratak replied, "I know. But hey, you can always call up the other nations...and boy, do I feel jealous about that." When Aang looked at her in a weird way, she said, "On our island, we don't have any other allies. We usually stand up for ourselves...but when I heard about how you had worked with the other nations, I was amazed by your power to bring people together."

Aang shrugged humbly. "Let's just say that it's a gift. So...what do you wanna do?"

"Wait," Aratak said suddenly, just remembering what to say. "We were helping Katara clean up the dining room when a bowl dropped. So Shun and I got it...and our hands touched. I saw Katara smile at that, and I think she did that on purpose."

"Really?" Aang asked with a teasing smile. "If so, then I think she thinks you two like each other. Do you like Shun?"

Aratak blushed as she held Aang's hand in hers. "A bit...okay, a lot. I mean, she's a kind woman, she knows a lot about herbs, and she's so beautiful..." She took a deep breath, resting a hand over her rapidly-beating heart. "Look, I don't want to talk about it right now, maybe soon. So...can we make out? Just for a little bit?"

If Aang had wanted to continue the subject, he hid his face well. But then he smiled and said, "Sure. Why not? Come here, you!"

With a playful growl, he leapt over at her, and Aratak yelped with playfulness as the Avatar pinned her to the floor of the pavilion. They both laughed at the scene before Aratak leaned up the best she could and locked her lips with Aang's. She let her tongue enter his mouth and rouse his tongue awake before leaning back and licking his cheek while he went down to her neck, kissing it a bit and leaving a love bite there.

Right now, the feeling of having a lover with her made Aratak start moaning in lust as she felt Aang fondle with her neck. He pulled at the area of clothing that exposed her cleavage until both breasts were exposed, her nipples hardening from the excitement. Aratak allowed Aang to give them a squeeze to let some milk come out and kissed him again...

...that is, until they heard a familiar voice.

"WHAT THE HECK?!"

As quick as a flash, Aang and Aratak broke off the kiss and spun around. Sokka was looking at them with bugged-out eyes, mouth opened agape as well. He apparently had some kind of papers in his hand that fell out from what he had just seen. Quickly, Aratak reached down and pulled up her training robes until her breasts were covered.

"Sokka?" Aratak asked, scrambling away from Aang. "What...what're you doing around here?"

The Water Tribe warrior gulped once...before his face got angry. "What am _I _doing?!" he growled, pointing a finger at him and Aratak. "I...was just coming to check on you...but what are YOU doing?! You were making out with each other!"

Aang tried grinning, but Aratak saw that he was failing. "I thought you hated oogies? Doesn't kissing give you the oogies?"

"It's not oogies when you cheat on my sister!" Sokka snarled. "I thought you loved her, you jerk! But now...you're just using her!"

Aang shook his head quickly. "Sokka, you know that's not true. I'm not cheating on Katara. If you just listened-"

But Sokka whirled away from him and snapped at Aratak, "And YOU! You led him to cheat on my sister! I thought you were good too!"

"Aang said if you just listened, you'd hear the explanation, so listen!" Aratak retorted. "I was in love with Aang-"

"I KNEW it!" Sokka spat, whirling around at the Avatar. But when he made his move towards Aang, Brutus leapt forth, a deep growl in his throat as if protecting a part of his pack.

Sokka saw this and stepped back, but he kept glaring at the two of them. "I'm telling Katara about this, you two," he growled. "Just you wait!"

And with a huff, he whirled around and stalked away.

"Would he really tell her?" Aratak asked in a worried tone. She had always imagined Sokka as being goofy and often sarcastic yet well-meaning and loyal. Now it was hard to see him get this angry about their relationship.

Aang shrugged, but she saw hesitation and shame in his eyes. "Maybe...maybe she can talk him out of his anger? I just don't want all this strife to continue."

Aratak looked away, feeling much guilty now. She now knew that she should never have fallen in love with Aang and Katara; she just needed comfort after Nanuk's death. It was bad enough that she felt guilty...but she noticed a familiar spirit looking at her over Aang's shoulder. Her former mate was shaking her head in disappointment before she disappeared. This made her feel even worse at what happened.

"I have a confession to make," she murmured, making him look at her. "Look, I...think I should split up from this relationship. I kinda feel like if I hadn't been attracted to you and Katara, this wouldn't have happened."

"But you got to see places outside the island," Aang reminded her. "That, and you've given out plenty of ideas from the tribe. Tell you what, though: think about it for a bit. If you still want to be with us, that's good. But if not...that's good too." He stood up a bit and kissed her cheek, saying, "I better go send a message to someone. Catch you later."

Aratak nodded back before watching the Avatar leave. What if Sokka really did tell Katara and then made things difficult for them? What if she put their entire relationship in jeopardy all because she had missed Nanuk? Her spirit had even come down and must have disapproved of the three-way relationship. It must have been because she must have thought she and Katara were together...but seeing her kissing Aang dropped the happiness she felt earlier.

_But what do I do?_ Aratak thought, standing up and looking out towards Yue Bay. _Great spirits above, help me with this!_

**...**

Once Aratak was out of the door, Katara gave a small smile after her and looked back at Shun, who was leaving the kitchen to outside. It felt like Aratak had feelings for her own healer, and it was time to help them discover their feelings for each other. Still, it was weird helping another woman love another woman...even if the former was a hermaphrodite. Then she felt that it was weird of her to think that since she and Aang had been mates with another woman...even if she was a hermaphrodite.

Just then, the door opened, and Sokka slouched in, looking furious. Katara knew that there were things that could get Sokka so mad that he would need to calm down for a short time...but he was in a really bad mood. She knew there was some shouting going on outside, so she guessed that Aang and Aratak played a prank on him. It still didn't feel good to keep it bottled inside, though.

"Good morning, Sokka," she greeted her brother. "What're you angry about, by the way?"

"Katara, he's cheating on you," Sokka growled, not bothering with the formalities. "I saw him kissing another woman!"

"What?" Katara asked in concern. Surely Aang wouldn't cheat on her like that...and they were married. "But...why?"

Sokka hissed, "I don't know, but he was playing you the entire time! I thought he was a nice guy, but now I saw that he's just a jerk! A jerk with no soul! I saw him at his meditating place making out with Aratak!"

At this, Katara's concern fell away...and was replaced by amusement. After having spent time with her and Shun with cleaning up, she figured some alone time with Aang was what she would need. That was the other woman Sokka had described, and she couldn't help but feel amused at how he freaked out a bit.

So she gave a small giggle and said, "Again? I guess she wants to spend more time with him after last night."

"WHAT?!" Sokka yelped. "You mean...you knew about this?!"

"Yeah..." Katara twiddled her fingers a bit and rested her hands on her pregnant belly as she said hesitantly, "Sokka...I'd like to ask you something. Would you be angry if I said...that Aang and I are in a relationship with Aratak? We three have been together since we were on the island eight months ago."

This made Sokka's jaw drop even more. He pulled it back up and growled, "So...you've been lying to us about your marriage?! I thought only you and Aang were involved in this! I can't believe you all did this behind our backs; we would've helped you! What will your kid or Dad say about it?!"

Now Katara glared back at what he said. "Sokka, don't drag Dad or my child into this! Dad might be happy for the three of us! If Mom was alive..."

"You didn't see Dad and Mom going out with another guy or girl, though, did you?!" Sokka snarled back. "What's next?! You'll be teaching that kid to be queer like you?! I bet Mom would be just as ashamed of you as me!"

That struck a nerve in Katara. She had not meant to be suddenly bisexual after meeting Aratak; it just...came around like being twitter pated. But Sokka had just spoke ill of her baby, his future niece or nephew...this was what she was afraid of: her brother's reaction...and her mother if she was alive and heard this. A few tears slid down her cheeks after she heard those words, and she turned away to not let him see her crying.

As if realizing what he said, Sokka's face turned from anger to shame as he rasped, "Katara, I didn't mean that...I'm sorry..."

"How dare you say that," Katara hissed with a cracked voice, glaring back at him through her tears. "How DARE you...you know speaking ill of Mom is bad...and you went and did that. I'm very ashamed to be your sister after that." She got up the best she could and headed over to the sink, going on coldly, "I want you out of this house and off this island right now. I don't want you around when the baby is born. You might be a bad uncle for her after all."

"Katara, I was being stupid," Sokka tried pleading. "Please...let me make it up..."

But Katara Bended some water from the sink, chilled it with frosty breath so that it was chilly, and threw it hard at her brother's face. Sokka wiped the water away and stared at her in shock...not because of her attacking him, but because of her refusing his apology. He took a step back, apparently not wanting to anger her anymore.

"I said no," Katara snarled, glaring at him with tear-filled blue eyes. "You've said enough...get out of here. NOW."

The Water Tribe warrior backed away, regret and shame in his eyes and on his face as he backed away. With a sigh, he turned to the door as he muttered, "Once more...I'm really sorry, sis. If you wanna hear my apology, you can come to the park in the city. If not...it's fine."

But apparently, someone else did not accept the apology. Balto had come forward while still recovering from his injuries and bit him a bit hard on the leg. Sokka winced from the bite and almost whirled around at the wolf until he saw Katara still glaring at him. With one more look of regret towards his sister as Balto let go, he walked through the door, not looking back.

Once Sokka was gone, Katara tried to keep her eyes dry, for more tears slid down her cheeks. She had been upset at her brother for saying all those things, but refusing to accept his apology made her feel a lot worse. As if feeling her sorrow, the baby inside her kicked a bit, making her sigh and lay a hand on her stomach. Shun was right; it had to be soon until she gave birth.

But that made her think that Sokka would not want to come to the birth because of getting queasy...that, and it was because of their fight. Not knowing what to do anymore, Katara sat down and tried to dry the tears from her eyes as she continued crying.

**...**

Brutus stalked around the buildings of the island, and he was furious. He had heard about it from Katara: Sokka had found out about the three-way relationship, and he had been furious about it. But as word spread about it throughout the island, he knew that this was not entirely the reason he was angry. No, the reason he was angry was because Balto, his own son, had bitten a human.

He closed his eyes and growled, a shiver going through his body and pelt. To a wolf, biting a human was a great sin for the pack. Wolves and wolf puppies in the tribe had been taught by the alpha or beta alpha that they should never bite a human. In the tribe, if a wolf bit a human, then they would be cast out of the pack and the tribe and must never return; those who were relentless in biting or those who were rabid would be killed. But since they were not in the tribe, he would have to do something else.

He spotted Balto taking a leisurely walk around the meditating pavilion where Aang would go to for peace and quiet. His son was already walking about and trying to work his legs after the fight, but he wasn't fully recovering yet. Brutus decided that this would be the time for the talk.

"Son!" he barked. "I want a word with you."

Balto nodded and slowly made his way over, limping slightly from the wounds the dogs had given him. Brutus knew that not all dogs were bad, and that included the dogs who helped him fight off those beasts, but dogs like those attackers were a stain on all canines. He didn't want his son to be the same from biting a human.

At last, Balto sat before him. "What is it?"

Brutus stared sternly at him. "I heard that you bit Katara's brother on the leg before he left. And you KNOW it's wrong for a wolf to bite a human no matter what they do! Humans are even more powerful than we are, and they could kill us for biting them!"

"I know," Balto cut him off. "I know I bit him, and I shouldn't have. But...do you think he had a point? Maybe those three weren't supposed to be mates at the same time."

"What're you talking like that for?" Brutus asked, eyes narrowed. "I'm happy for them. And if you can't be, then you should've heard what he was like."

Balto shook his head. "I don't know...but what about Aratak? Surely she misses Nanuk? How can she forget about her?"

Brutus growled back, "That's the way things go, son. People and animals die, and they move on. It's the circle of life, and don't you forget it."

"Yet how can she forget Nanuk?" Balto spoke up a bit sharper. "Or does she want to forget her? Does she want to give up the tribe life and disrespect our ancestors? How can Aratak live with herself while doing that?"

That did it. Brutus had never heard of such disrespect towards the chief before. He was the alpha wolf of the pack, true, but the only human he would truly submit to was Aratak. And his own son had spoken ill of her; to him, it was unforgivable.

"I...can't believe you said that," Brutus growled, standing straight up at his son's height, black fur bristling and yellow eyes glowing. The red mist flowed over his vision as he snarled in a demon-like growl, "You...you two-faced treacherous little BRAT!"

And with a terrible roar, he sprung at Balto.

**...**

"So what happened after he said that?"

It was Aang who had spoken while they ate in the dining hall. Things were rather quiet during dinner after what had occurred that morning. Sokka hadn't returned to the island to reconcile with Katara, and that made all the Air Acolytes feel somber and awkward about what happened. Aratak still could not believe that Sokka would say that kind of stuff to her...but it made her feel even more uneasy.

"I told him to get off the island and that he would be a bad uncle," Katara sighed, pushing away her almost-finished food. "Still...I can't believe I said that. It's like the burnt necklace situation all over again."

Aang shrugged. "Everyone knows about it now. They must have heard the arguing, and they would be out feeding the bison."

"It's my fault," Aratak spoke up, not feeling hungry either. "If I hadn't fallen for you two, then none of this would have happened."

Katara got up the best she could and waddled over to Aratak, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Don't say that; you said you missed Nanuk, right? Please don't think of that ever again. Besides, I don't think things can be worse."

But as Aang was about to say something else, the sounds of vicious barking and yelping filled Aratak's ears. She got up from the table with the others and the Acolytes behind her and ran outside...and saw a shocking scene.

Balto and Brutus were rolling around on the ground and circling each other, biting and clawing each other viciously. Fur, spittle, and blood flew everywhere as they fought. Aratak was very horrified at this; a father and son who loved each other...were suddenly fighting tooth and nail, and she didn't know why. Balto was already injured, and his own father...Aratak's loyal pet wolf...was viciously attacking his own son.

As the two wolves kept fighting, Aratak grabbed a nearby bamboo stick from some bamboo next to the dining hall and ran towards the scuffle. She immediately pushed it in between Balto and Brutus, yelling, "Stop it! Break it up!"

Yet they did not listen, and Brutus even pushed the stick away before leaping at Balto again. Knowing that what she would do next was not a good idea, she got in between them and tried wrapping her hands around her wolf's muzzle. Brutus wriggled out of that one and pounced on top of Balto again, sounds of painful yelping too much for her ears. Another Acolyte even tried pulling Balto away, but Brutus would beat him there and continue the attack. Then Aratak did the number one thing she knew never to do with an angry wolf: she grabbed Brutus' tail and pulled him back.

And then...it happened.

While Aratak pulled, Brutus suddenly whirled around and sank his fangs into her hand.

Aratak pulled back with a scream of pain and reeled back, crying. She looked down at her hand, which was now covered in dark red blood, before looking back at the wolves through tear-stained eyes. Balto was trying to get back up to his paws, but he kept slipping on his own blood, and his wounds were reopened. In the meantime, Brutus was stepping back, head and battle-scarred ears down as he whimpered.

In Brutus' mind, he was feeling afraid. He had bitten his own master. He had always said that she needed to be treated with respect...and he had bitten her. The black wolf stepped even further back, shame and regret seeping through him, as the other humans looked at him with a mix of anger, sadness, and shock on their faces. He was in deep trouble.

Back with Aratak, Katara headed over to check on Balto while Aang murmured something to Zhan, who nodded. He called "Contain him!", and Wuhero lashed a rope out towards Brutus, who flinched as the rope whirled around his neck until it was fully around him. Aratak looked back at her wolf with pity, tears still leaking from her eyes. She hated doing this to one of her oldest companions, but it was for his own good.

_This vacation is falling to pieces, she realized. This is why we never leave the island: strife and misery in the rest of the world! We should've stayed at home!_

_**To be continued...**_

**...**

**AvatarCat13: That was kinda shocking, wasn't it? But I hope you all like that chapter. If not, tell me what's wrong with it, and I'll fix it. Two things I want to get off my chest before we go to the review thing, though, and I don't want to sound like a jerk about it.**

**The first is...with some of the newest reviews on Kataang Island Adventure. I don't think many people like it anymore because of what they see, but I just wanted to try something different. If it pleases them, then I can take the story off of FanFiction! The second is about the chapter title: it tells of how Sokka discovers the relationship and gets angry (but he WON'T stay that way for long), and it tells that the humans aren't the only ones suffering.**

**Read and review, though! Today is three years since Legend Of The Guardians came out, so you can get a virtual figurine of your favorite owl character or species from the books and movie. I don't allow flames of any kind (PLEASE remember that!), but I do welcome advice, questions of any kind, and constructive criticism as long as it's not harsh.**

**See ya next time!**


	13. Repentence And Weapons

**AvatarCat13: Hey there, everyone, and welcome to the newest chapter for Kataang Island Adventure 2! Once again, sorry for not uploading sooner. I just had to do some thinking, and the weekend was kinda busy. But still, let's go over what happened on The Legend Of Korra so far.**

**So...Mako and Korra have officially broken up. I actually didn't see that one coming. And it was a shame that they split up, since I kinda liked their relationship even if it was a bit rocky. Unlike Aang and Katara, who had a few bumps along the way but are still smooth 'n' happy. And also, I've been thinking of adding a rather "expecting" chapter after this one, if you know what I mean.**

**One more thing: I've finally shown my true identity on DeviantArt. So now that this is out of the way, let's go on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last AirBender and do not expect to make money from this FanFic. This series belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. I DO, however, own Aratak and Shun...and the Black Spirit Gang, yet Ataki, Ziron, and Izan belong to Jade's One Of A Kind and Crazy Cowgirl Cassie.**

**Uploading Date: October 20, 2013**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**Repentance And Weapons**_

Cursing himself as he headed to the ferry for Republic City, Sokka berated himself for thinking of what happened recently. He paid the fee for the ferry and got on board when it arrived, and it began slowly cruising its way through Yue Bay, named after the first girl he loved who became the new moon spirit. But on his way back to the city, the Water Tribe warrior sat down as he rested his forehead in his palm and thought over what happened.

He couldn't believe it. Katara, his own beloved little sister, was with Aang and Aratak in a three-way relationship. Sokka had noticed that Aang and Katara were rather friendly with one another over the past few weeks, but he had no idea what went on behind those closed doors. At first, he felt anger at his sister and Aang for how they had hidden this from him, and that had caused him to vent out his frustration on them.

But then...he remembered the argument they had and what happened.

_Sokka, don't drag Dad or my child into this! Dad might actually be happy for the three of us! If Mom was alive..._

_You didn't see Dad and Mom going out with another guy or girl, though, did you?! What's next?! You'll be teaching the kid to be queer like you?! I bet Mom would be as ashamed of you as me!_

"I...I can't believe I said all of that to her...my own sister," he groaned to himself after thinking this over in his head. "Man, I'm such an idiot..."

"What was that?" the man driving the ferry asked.

Sokka shook his head. "Nothing."

The man looked at him as if he was crazy, but he shrugged and kept controlling the ferry.

Once they made it to the city and the fee was paid, Sokka decided to stop by the MetalBending headquarters and have a talk with Toph. Maybe if he had a chance to talk with her about the problem, she could help out in some way. Despite her tendency to be brutally honest, she would know what to do. Making up his mind, he saw a cart drawn by a dragon moose, told the driver his destination before paying, and off they went.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the police headquarters where Toph worked at. Sokka got out of the carriage and took a deep breath, preparing himself for what to say, before heading through the front doors. The inside of the headquarters was getting to be roomy, and he saw plenty of MetalBenders working on various things like writing and talking about crimes that needed to be solved. After a bit of looking around, Sokka finally found her.

Toph Bei Fong. The master of MetalBending was talking with several of her officers, one of them being Khan and one of her earliest pupils. Sokka cleared his throat for her to hear, and she spun around to face him.

"Hey," she greeted him. "What's up?"

"Can I..." Cursing himself for sounding meek, Sokka asked more clearly, "Can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

Toph frowned slightly. "I don't know. Depends on what it's about."

Sokka replied, "It's about Aang and Katara."

"Really?" Toph's eyes widened a bit at this before relaxing. "Okay. Khan, make sure those files are written down. Every bit of ink, and on every part of those lines."

"Yes ma'am," Khan said, bowing quickly. "Let's go, Dark One."

The two officers left quickly before Toph escorted Sokka to a private room in the building. Once they were in there, Toph said, "Okay, Snoozles, speak. What's going on with Twinkletoes and Sugar Queen?"

Sokka thought over the arguments he had with his sister, Aang, and Aratak and felt even more ashamed. But he knew he had to talk about it, and Toph was the only friend he could talk to about it. If he talked about it with Suki (she was away at her place at Kyoshi Island), he would get slapped for his troubles.

"I...kinda got into an argument with them," Sokka admitted. "I was on my way over because I heard of some rumors from the Black Spirit Gang when I saw Aang and Aratak. They...they were at the meditating pavilion, and they were...kissing."

Toph merely nodded, indicating for him to go on.

Sokka continued, "I mean it, I saw them. He already got part of her shirt off when I saw them, and they covered up. I was accusing Aang of cheating Katara all this time before Aratak tried telling me something. So I said I would tell Katara about this, and they didn't try to stop me. And you'll never believe what she did."

"What?" Toph asked, eyebrow arched.

"She said something along the lines of Aang wanting to try that again with Aratak...as if she knew about it," Sokka went on. "Then we got into an argument, and I said what would Dad say if he saw this, so she said that I shouldn't include Dad in the argument. Then...I said what was maybe the worst thing I ever said to her."

Toph looked even more suspicious. "And what was that worst thing?"

"And then..." Sokka lowered his head. "...then I called her kid...queer, and..." He took a staggering breath before finishing, "...and I said Mom would be ashamed of her."

There was silence for a few minutes before Toph grabbed his chin lightly and lifted him up so that he looked into her eyes. But just then...she punched him really hard in the face. I mean really REALLY hard. EarthBender hard.

"OW!" Sokka reeled back to avoid being punched more, wiping the blood away from his nose. "Why did you DO that?!"

Toph glared furiously at him and snapped, "I can't believe you said all that! Heck, I can't believe you said all that to your own sister...your kin! So what if they're in a secret relationship?! Aang and Katara still love each other, and I'm really positive that they love Aratak back! Why did you have to raise a stink about it?!"

Sokka looked away from her angry gaze, ashamed as he rubbed at the area where she punched him. But all he said was, "You knew about this?!" But he realized that this was always what he said if he got angry, so he calmed down and said, "Look, I feel guilty enough. She already made me feel bad as it is. Can you just drop it?"

"No! Not until I hear the truth!" Toph snarled, suddenly looking like a mother fiercely defending her child. "I teased Sugar Queen about many stuff, but even I find what you said as going too far. Now spit it out already!"

"I...I thought Aang was cheating on Katara," Sokka admitted. "But you know how I am, Toph; I just wanted to protect her." As she nodded, he went to another subject, saying, "And what about Aratak being with them? Isn't being with another woman wrong?"

"She's a hermaphrodite, as you should recall." Toph still looked angry, but she appeared to be trying to calm down. "Which means she has a...I'm not gonna say it in the headquarters...so that's a bit like her being both genders...even if it's odd."

"What's odd?" Sokka asked.

Toph beckoned for him to follow her to the alley beside her headquarters while motioning for her officers to wait for her return. Once they made it outside, the blind MetalBender said, "I heard that for a person to be a true hermaphrodite, they need both genders' genitals, but Aratak only has the male kind...which is kinda odd. So anyways, what does that make Katara? Hmm?"

Sokka guessed, "Bisexual?"

"Sure, you can say that," Toph said with a shrug. "But that's beside the point. Look, if they say that Aratak is happy with them, then I'm happy as long as they are. Why isn't that good enough for you?"

"What're you saying, Toph?" Sokka growled, getting tired of her stalling him.

Toph fixed his blue gaze with her blind eyes. "You almost lost Aang's friendship years ago when he hid that map. Try not to do so again. Plus..." She held up a hand to silence him. "...I knew about their relationship after she and Katara had sex. But I promised to keep it a secret because of how you would react."

Sokka stared at her in a bug-eyed way. "Wait a minute...Katara and Aratak were..."

"Yeah."

"So he wasn't cheating on..."

"That's right."

"And all three of them are..."

"You're getting it now."

"And they kept this a secret because of..."

"Mm-hmm."

That made Sokka piece it all together until they fit together like a puzzle in ancient ruins. There was no wonder Aang and Katara were very friendly with Aratak: she was part of the harem. And what he had said to them...it would threaten to break them apart. More shame filled his heart, shame at what he had told them before.

He leaned back against the wall, covering his tear-filling eyes with a hand. "What have I done, Toph? This is gonna be a nightmare...and it's all my fault."

Toph walked forward and rested her hand on his arm. "Hey, it's not too late to fix it. It's still a bit early in the morning, so we can get back to the island." She took her hand away and asked, "You feelin' better now, Sokka?"

"Yeah...kinda," Sokka said, wiping his face to clean it up. "Yeah, I'm feeling better now."

"Good. Crying won't solve anything, you know..."

"Chief Bei Fong! Chief Bei Fong!"

Immediately, both of them turned to see Khan and the Dark One from the MetalBending class rush up to them. Both men looked worried...though the Dark One didn't really show it.

Toph stepped forward until she stopped right in front of them. "I was busy comforting a friend here. But if you wanna interrupt your chief, go ahead." But hearing their panting from running over here, she asked, "Okay, what's wrong? You sound like you saw Ozai's ghost."

"We thought...we saw some Black Spirit people," the Dark One muttered through the panting. "But why, I'll never know."

"They said they would send one Bender to each specific shop," Khan spoke up. "A WaterBender to a Water Tribe shop, an EarthBender to an Earth Kingdom one, and a FireBender to a Fire Nation one. We even heard them say that they needed some kind of weapon. But whatever it is, it sounds pretty big."

"A weapon, you ask?" Toph remarked. "What else?"

Khan shrugged. "I don't know. Ask Miroku for more details. He knows much more of the black market than we do."

Sokka spoke up, "Then we gotta find him and ask him. Where's he at?"

"He's behind one of the markets around this area," Khan replied, looking surprised that he was asked by someone who was not his chief. "He told me to pass this on to you and meet him in the alley between the market and Kuang's Cuisine. Be there at five thirty in the afternoon."

Toph nodded. "Okay then. That's only in a few hours, so we'll be there. And get yourself some rest while you're at it, Khan," she added. "You sound like you've been up all night!"

Her main officer did look tired, a dark shade under his yellow eyes. "Yeah...finding out what the Black Spirit Gang was up to kept me up all night." He broke off with a yawn, revealing that, yes, he really was tired.

"So get some rest," Toph repeated. "We'll take over from here. You deserve a break."

Sokka watched on as Khan muttered a thank-you and headed on back to the headquarters. He knew that he had to apologize to Aang, Katara, and Aratak, but it would have to wait. Toph had been called to solve a mystery about the Black Spirit Gang, and he would help her at it.

**...**

That afternoon, just as Khan suggested, Sokka, Toph, and a few officers headed over to where Miroku would meet them. Sokka recalled meeting this man a year or two ago, when he had given a growth potion to Katara, who had felt a bit jealous that Aang got a bit taller than her, but she ended up growing to a huge fifty-foot-tall WaterBender. Still, Miroku had given her the antidote when she needed it most, so Aang had let him join Team Avatar. After the adventure, he had stuck to the alleyways, keeping an eye on enemies...and groping women's rears along the way.

The cookery had housed Water Tribe food for as long as the city had been standing. Food like cooked turtle seal, noodles, and even stewed sea prunes were a familiar sight here, and he would often take his fiancée or sister here for dinner or lunch. But Sokka knew that this was no time for eating, for there was a sign that said "Kuang's Cuisine For Water Tribe Food"...and under that read "For Water Tribe people ONLY".

_Okay, that's stupid, _Sokka guessed. _Aang and Zuko are just trying to get everyone to get along. Who do those Black Spirit thugs think they are?_

As they approached the area, they found Miroku. He was leaning against the alleyway in new robes of white and red, twirling his staff around in his hand. When he looked up at the police, he blanched a bit and tried to make a run for it.

"HALT!" Toph barked, trapping his feet with EarthBending. "We're not here to arrest you. We just need to ask you a few questions."

Miroku panted, hand on his chest, "Whew...just give me a holler next time! Don't scare me like that! You gave me a heart attack!"

Toph shrugged. "Love ya too, buddy. Now listen." She used her EarthBending to free his feet and said, "I've heard from one of my officers that you've seen stray members of the Black Spirit Gang around here. Is that true?"

"Yeah," Miroku replied, sounding relieved as he calmed down. "I was just around here, keeping an eye out for potential things I can sell to other people. While I picked out some stuff for free in the market..."

"Isn't that stealing?" Sokka spoke up.

"Yeah, he's right," Toph added. "You're lucky you're one of us now. If you haven't had the evidence of the Black Spirit Gang, I'd arrest you right here and right now."

Miroku laughed. "Guilty as charged, Chief Bei Fong. But anyways," he started, looking serious now. "While I...stole...stuff from the market, I saw similar people in black and purple robes come inside the market. I feared that they would recognize me from the rally a few nights ago, so I hid myself behind some shelves and watched what happened next. They approached the merchant and captured him, tying him up and chiding him for selling Water Tribe food to people outside the Water Tribes...which is ridiculous."

Sokka nodded. "Yeah, I know. Especially the sea prunes," he added in a blissful state, feeling his mouth water. "Once you have a bowl, you can't just have one bowlful."

Toph made a slightly disgusted face. "I gotta disagree with you on that, Snoozles. Aang told me to stay away from that and the sea cucumbers years ago." Ignoring Sokka's mock glare, she turned back to Miroku and said, "Go on."

"The merchant said that he was just doing what Republic City does: promote cooperation and unity," Miroku said. "But they just beat him over the head with an unlit candle, knocking him out. In his place, one of them came forward and claimed the store as his own store, saying that the place would be a weapons store from now on. A weapons store for his gang."

That made Sokka a bit nervous. Why on earth would the Black Spirit Gang need weapons for? Unless...some of those in there would be non-Benders too, then they would need those. But still, that could lead to something big...and bad.

"You think they might be..."

"You!"

They all turned around to see the owner of the voice that interrupted Sokka. It was a person wearing robes of black, the same kind of robes the Black Spirit Gang wore. He would have been normal to look at if one of his yellow eyes weren't missing, but he still looked intimidating. Plenty of scars covered his face, and his black hair was tied up into a topknot.

"What's up?" Sokka asked casually. He didn't want this man to know that they went to the rally, so even though he hated their guts, he had to play it cool.

Genba glared at him. "You're Water Tribe, right? Well, you're allowed in...except for your friends. They should go to other restaurants of their own nation."

Toph glared at him in return. "Excuse me, but I'M the police. We had a spy who told us about you, and we know you're Aang's former student. Now you're hereby arrest!" she barked as she pointed a finger at him.

"For what?" Genba growled. "Managing my restaurant?"

"It wasn't yours to begin with," Miroku bit back. "I saw what you did with Mr. Manik. Miss Bei Fong, I think you should do the honors."

"Thanks." Toph began using her Bending to shoot out metal wires as she yelled, "You're coming with us now, and don't you struggle!"

But as the ropes were about to reach him, fire shot out from over his head, up the metal, and up to her arm. Toph drew back with a hiss of pain, glaring angrily up at the rebellious teenager with rage-filled green eyes, while the others got into battle poses.

Just then, three more people stalked up to the fighters, two of them twirling fire around in their hands and one forming ice claws with WaterBending. Sokka had remembered Aratak telling him about two of them: they were once some of her Tribemates living on the island in the middle of the ocean. The man named Rio was bronze-skinned with green eyes and black hair...and a scowl to go along with him. And the woman named Uiara was pale-skinned with brown hair, golden eyes, and a fireball twirling around her hand; she would have been prettier if not for the constant scowl on her face.

Plus, with an officer by their side, it appeared to be an even fight. Even if the good side had two non-Benders, things could go well.

"Okay, it's gonna be..." Toph began ordering.

"What?" Sokka asked cynically. "Four on four plus Sokka, huh?"

Toph shook her head. "Nope. Just four on four. True four on four."

Sokka nodded and gave her a smile. "Then let's kick some Black Spirit butt."

Right away, he pulled his boomerang out from its sheath in his bag and hurled it towards Genba. But Rio had stepped forward and swiped the weapon out of the air with his ice claws, throwing it back to Sokka, who yelped in surprise before catching it. Toph stomped the ground, forcing a big piece of ground to come up, before kicking it at the Black Spirit Gang, but the two FireBenders in the group slowed it down with their flames. She sent in a few more rock blasts, but they were repelled each time...until Miroku came in.

The dealer had sprung into action already; Sokka didn't know he could fight, but when he did, he was a blur. Miroku was leaping back and forth, striking whatever he could with forceful palm strikes, leaving their arms partly paralyzed. Rio tried to freeze him with what Sokka feared was BloodBending, a very dark form of WaterBending, but Miroku reached him and kicked him around the back of the head, catching him off guard. Heartened by this, the good side continued their attacks on the Black Spirit Gang.

Remembering his sword, Sokka pulled it out of its sheath, the meteor-black blade glinting in the dying sunlight. Uiara jumped in between him and Toph, who was fending off Rio and the other FireBender, but the Water Tribe warrior was to not be deterred. He slashed his sword towards her, but she made a fire whip and lashed it out towards him, wrapping it around his weapon and leaving him to struggle with it.

"You make easy targets, you know!" she sneered as he pulled his weapon back. "I'm happy Rio and I left that pathetic island!"

"Easy targets, you say?" Sokka retorted with a smirk. "Well, check this out! Sword, don't fail us now!" he yelled, throwing his sword towards a crack in the wall.

It hit its mark, striking the crack right in the middle. A deeper crack began to form, and a deep rumbling started as if an earthquake had arrived; a rock slide was about to start.

"We need to get outta here! And I'm retiring from the whole bazaar business!" Miroku yelled, slamming his staff hard into Genba's temple before dashing off. "I mean it!"

So they quickly grabbed the dealer by the arms and hauled it out of there. But what they didn't stay to see was this:

"Wait. Let them go."

Genba turned to his leader, who had stalked forth and Bended the earth back into the wall before it could fall on them. His eyes were glittering from the shadows, but his black clothing and black hood kept him well-blended. His staff clunked every time he took a step, and the jewel in the center of the handle shone like a demon's dark red eye.

"But...why, my lord? Don't you want to kill them?" he whined as their victims ran off.

"I do, but they are not on the top of my list," Shen replied smoothly, using his staff to put down the FireBender who was not Uiara. Seeing Genba's face, he added calmly, "Don't worry. This one had outlived his usefulness anyways. Now what I really want are the Avatar's Water Tribe wife and their baby. She must be close to giving birth by now, am I correct?"

"Yeah, that's what the last spy said the last time," Genba said. "What do you want us to do?"

Shen thought about it a moment. He knew he couldn't strike right away, so he would need for one of his pawns to do the trick. Finally, he said, "Take another scout and check the perimeter of the island to find her. If she goes into labor, do not strike, for I can kill her AND the child once she gives birth. But if she is still pregnant, then I can kill two birds with one stone."

Genba stared at him dumbly. "Pardon?"

"It means to solve two problems with one action, child," Shen growled irritably. "If only I had made you take the intelligence part of the test. But there will be time before we strike. Once we do, we will use the corpses of the WaterBender and her child to lure the Avatar into our grasp. And once he gets there, it will be either you or me to deal the final death blow. The whole world will revert back to its primitive age without their _beloved_ Avatar."

"And the Air Temple Island...and Republic City...those will be mine?"

Shen nodded ominously. "You have my word."

Genba nodded and ran off, Rio and Uiara recovering and heading off after him. Shen watched them go and looked back towards the combat zone as he scanned it with narrowed snake-like eyes. Looking over towards the spoiled water pouring out from a pipe in the rock slide, he took a deep breath and froze the liquid with an icy breath. Lastly, he took one more glance at the body of the FireBender he killed and sent a jet of flame towards him, burning him while he was dead. It appeared to be one of life's ironies: a FireBender's body turning into cinders because of his own element.

_I hope you know what that meant, Avatar, _Shen thought with evil satisfaction. _Vaatu himself has given me the powers of the elements too...except air, for I do not need it. And I will use this to end you, your family, and all those you love. I swear on it._

**...**

"Did you find anything?" Khan asked as soon as they came back.

Sokka looked over the wounds he and his friends had gotten from the Black Spirit attack. He had gotten several scratches on his clothing and skin, a trickle of blood still dripping from his temple. Toph and her officer didn't have many injuries, for they were mainly wearing armor that kept sharp objects from slashing at them. Miroku looked the least injured, though he was limping a bit from a sprained ankle.

"Yeah, we found something, all right," Toph greeted Khan. "The Black Spirit Gang took over Kuang's Cuisine and turned it into a weapon shop. A shop only for their gang to use. I'll be sending in chameleon pinschers to sniff out any weapons that are a threat to the city." To Sokka, she said with an affectionate smile, "Get some sleep, Snoozles. You can stay here for tonight and go apologize to Aang and Katara in the morning."

Sokka nodded slightly, gave a brief thank-you, and headed to the sleeping chambers. But before he could make it there, Miroku stopped him, brown eyes gazing into his blue eyes. It looked as if he was trying to read his mind or something, which was creeping him out a bit.

"Rest for now, Sokka," the dealer murmured before he went out the door. "But I have a feeling that your sister will be having her baby tomorrow. Be prepared for that."

And with all said and done, he left.

_**To be continued...**_

**...**

**AvatarCat13: Well, here we go, folks! That's the end of this chapter, and I hope you like it. Sokka will try to apologize to Aang and Katara, but he was kept busy in this chapter. And before we go on, I'd like to say a couple of things.**

**Oh boy...I've made quite a mess with this story series, I have. First...about the bison...I saw the new episode of The Legend Of Korra and saw that the Fire Sages had kept some sky bison and kept them safe during the war. While...I thought he found them on some island. And the age thing: Katara was 23 when she gave birth to her first child, not 20. But when I make a remake of this story and the story before that, I'll fix that up...or I might add a little something later on.**

**In other words, this won't happen again!**

**So anyways, read and review! Anyone who reads and reviews will be given statues of either Raava or Vaatu, the spirits of order and chaos in The Legend Of Korra: Beginnings Parts 1 and 2. Flames are NOT allowed here, but I do welcome advice and constructive criticism as long as it's not harsh.**

**See ya next time!**


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